Holiday Letters

Holiday Letters

By Admonda

December 24, 1997

Hermione,

Oh This is a disaster! You'll never believe what just happened! Oh, I don't know what came over me! Harry and I were talking about relationships, because we both felt a bit left out, what with you and Ron being together and Neville and Luna. And we got to talking about Dean breaking up with me and I said that I had never really liked him or Michael anyway. Then I said I was going to abstain from relationships. When he asked me why, I told him that I couldn't date people when he already held my heart in his hands.

Well, you can imagine how shocked he was and...well, I sort of kissed him, right there in the Gryffindor Common Room. Thank God it's Christmas and no one was there. And before he could say a word, I just...ran off. Oh, what can I do Hermione? I've ruined my friendship with him! I've worked so hard for the two of us to be friends, and now look what I've done!

Please write me back. I need some major advice.

Always,

Ginny

Ginny,

I don't really see this as a disaster. To me, the situation isn't as bad as you think it is. You've built up your friendship with him in the past years and it means a lot to him that he knows you're there for him. Don't you think that there might be a chance that he's grown to like you too?

Look at it this way, it took a lot of guts to tell him what you said. You were displaying your Gryffindor bravery and that's something most guys like in a girl. Courage. Besides, you've said yourself numerous times that you still had feelings for Harry.

Find him and talk with him. He won't laugh at you. I promise. Plus, if he does, I'll hex him from here to next week. Just stay calm.

With Love,

Hermione

Hermione,

Are you sure? I mean he's never really treated me differently since we became friends after what happened at the Ministry. True, we're good friends now when before we were merely acquaintances, but I don't see much of a difference. I think he holds back with me because he still thinks that I'm...oh wait, I do still love him. But it's different this time! I swear it is! Now that I know him for who he is, I like him for real. It's not an infatuation. The thing is, I don't think he likes me in that way...the way I like him. Blast me and my stupid hormones.

Always,

Ginny

Ginny,

Again, calm down. If the way you like him now is different, than maybe the way he feels about you now has changed too. Harry doesn't always hide his emotions well, but none of us ever had any idea he liked Cho until well after the fact. Maybe he's keeping his emotions in check with you too. Talk to him. The worst that could happen is he says he doesn't feel the same way about you. Just talk to him, alright? Things will work out.

With Love,

Hermione

Hermione,

Ok, I'll go talk to him. But what do I say?

Always,

Ginny

Ginny,

Tell him what you've told me. Tell him you're sorry for the way it came out and then say you'll give him time to think it over. He'll respect that you don't demand an answer at once. Just remember Ginny, this is Harry we're talking about. He's not going to be mean to you.

With Love,

Hermione

Harry,

I'm sorry for what happened today. I hope you believe me that I never intended for what happened to actually happen. It just sort of did. I don't know why I suddenly said what I said or why I kissed you, but I do know that I had that schoolgirl crush on you for so long that I guess it became a bit of a second nature. I want you to know that I'm sorry for what happened. It was a mistake that should never have been made. Please forgive me and let's put this behind us and move on with our friendship.

Always,

Ginny

Hermione,

I couldn't find him anywhere so I sent him a letter. And I told him well, to move on from it and forget it happened. Don't start giving me a lecture about how I need to act the Gryffindor I am and not act like a chicken. Trust me. I know what I'm doing. It will be better this way.

Always,

Ginny

Ron,

I'm worried about Ginny. She told Harry that she still had feelings for him and even kissed him earlier this morning. And now she's told Harry that they should forget it happened. Can you talk sense into her? You've said it yourself a hundred times, if the two could just get over what happened in her first year here, they'd make a great couple.

Oh, by the way, Ginny couldn't find Harry in the castle. Do you happen to know where he is? Maybe you could talk with him about what happened.

With Love,

Hermione

Hermione,

I'll do what I can, love. I'll try to find Harry first; he's not in his room.

Ron

Hermione,

No luck finding Harry. I looked in our dormitory, but he's taken his cloak and the map to wherever he is. Sorry. Ginny's in her dormitory so I can't go talk to her until she comes out. I'll wait in the Common Room. I'll let you know when I find out anything.

Ron

Ron,

Hey mate. I know it's weird that I'm sending you an owl when we're both in the castle, but I have to ask you something. Have you talked with Ginny lately?

Harry

Harry,

Nope, not today. Why?

Ron

Ron,

Well, I just got this owl from her, and I'm more confused than I was to start with. She told me she liked me, then kissed me, then wrote and told me she didn't mean it when she said she liked me. I was wondering if you knew anything about it?

Harry

Harry,

She didn't mean what she said in the letter. There's no way it's true, mate. What do you think about everything?

Ron

Ron,

I'm not sure.

Harry

Hermione,

Well, I talked with Harry. Well, not really talked with him, but we did write some letters back and forth with Pig. I don't know how he found Pig. He's been flying around Ginny for the past few hours. He did say he got an owl from her so maybe that's it. He's somewhere in the castle and is really confused.

Ron

Ron,

Thanks for letting me know. Let me know when you talk with Ginny and if those two work things out.

With Love,

Hermione

Hermione,

Will do.

Ron

Harry,

How are you doing? I'm sorry I haven't written for a while, but as you well know, I'm kept very busy with things. Are you having fun during the holidays with Ron and Ginny? I know you'd much rather be somewhere else with the rest of your surrogate family or me, but unfortunately it can't be helped. You're much better off there than anywhere at the moment. Just remember that we all love you and want you to be as safe as possible.

Keep your eyes out for a package on Christmas. Tonks and I combined forces and bought you a really nice present.

Remus

Remus,

Thanks for the gift. You didn't have to. Things are fine.

Harry

Harry,

Are you alright? You sound distant. You know, you can always talk to me if you're having problems.

Remus

Remus,

I'm fine. Stop worrying.

Harry

Albus,

I'm worried about Harry. He wrote to me today and sounded so different than usual. I didn't get any straight answers with him and his responses were extremely terse. Have you noticed him acting oddly?

Remus

Remus,

I have not seen Harry acting strangely recently. However I have noticed several more owls coming to the school than usual for the holiday break. Perhaps he's having problems with his friends that went home for Christmas? If you truly are worried that something might be wrong, I can have Hagrid investigate for you.

Albus Dumbledore

Albus,

Thank you. Please let me know what's going on when you find out. I'm worried that it might be the worst situation when it comes to Harry.

Remus

Hagrid,

I'm beginning to grow worried about Harry. He is acting differently today. Would you see if you could talk to him and see what's bothering him? You know how much he trusts you, more so than myself, else I would talk with him. I would greatly appreciate it.

Albus Dumbledore

Professor Dumbledore,

It would be my pleasure.

Don't worry, you can count on me.

Hagrid.

Harry,

How is yer holiday so far?

Why don't you come join me for a bit o' tea later this afternoon?

Hagrid

Hagrid,

That sounds good. I'll be down around three o'clock, is that ok? I could use some time away from everything to think.

Harry

Harry,

Sounds fine ter me.

We'll talk then.

Hagrid

Hermione,

Ginny finally came down about an hour ago. I decided to play dumb and asked her if she'd seen Harry. I told her I wanted him to go to the Quidditch pitch with me to practice.

Well, she said she didn't know where he was and then I asked her why she looked sad. She told me bugger off and leave her alone.

Well, she left and then came back later with some food from the kitchens. She said she was sorry for snapping at me and I asked if she'd had a fight with Harry.

She spilled the beans and we talked about it. I asked her why she wouldn't let herself be happy and she said that she loved him too much for him to reject her. But I think I got her to where she'll tell Harry the truth.

Ron

Ron,

I truly hope that you got through to her. I hope she'll owl me and let me know if she's really changed her mind about telling Harry how she feels. You're a great brother, Ron. Just make sure the both of them come to their senses. Honestly, those two deserve each other. They just need to see it.

With Love,

Hermione

Hermione,

I know, love. And I'll do my best, but I still can't find Harry. He hasn't come back yet and Ginny didn't see him on her way back from the kitchens.

Ron

Hermione,

Ron and I just had a talk and I've decided that he's right. I need to tell Harry the truth, but I don't want to say it in a letter. I've been all over the castle trying to find him, and I can't. Where would he be?

Always,

Ginny

Ginny,

I'm sure things will work themselves out. I'd be patient and wait for Harry in the Common Room. He's bound to go back there eventually right? In the meantime, why don't you try to kick your brother's tail at chess?

With Love,

Hermione

Hermione,

Thanks for the reassurance and moral support. Ron's downstairs and already setting the board up. I told him I had to grab a sweatshirt and came up to send my thanks to you. I'll write to you after I talk with Harry.

Always,

Ginny

Professor Dumbledore,

Harry just left.

Turns out Ginny told him she liked him.

Then she said it was a mistake and ter ferget abou' it.

He's just confused, is all.

He's been tryin' to sort it out.

Don' know what he'll do.

Hope I helped.

Hagrid

Hagrid,

Thank you for helping and letting me know. Did he say anything else by chance?

Albus Dumbledore

Professor Dumbledore,

Nah, nothin' else.

Said he wished he knew what ter do.

I think he likes her.

I told him ter write ter Remus.

He said he would.

Hagrid

Hagrid,

Thank you, once more. Have a good rest of the day.

Albus Dumbledore

Remus,

Harry just left Hagrid's. Apparently, Ginny told him that she liked him and then turned around and said it was a mistake and to forget it had happened. Hagrid seems quite sure that Harry likes her but is just confused by her taking back what she said. He is a teenager after all, and these occurrences are inevitable. I'm sure he'll work it out Remus.

Albus Dumbledore

Albus,

Thank you for letting me know. I was worried it had something to do with you-know-what. I'm relieved that it's not anything as serious as that.

I just hope he can work things out with Ginny. They would be good for each other if Harry would just let her know he likes her. And yes, it's true that he does. Back during the summer, I kept noticing him sending her glances every so often.

Remus

Remus,

I'm sorry I was so standoffish earlier. I just had things on my mind. You see, earlier this morning, Ginny told me that she liked me and then well...kissed me. And then she just ran off and I had no chance to talk with her after it was over.

So I grabbed my cloak and map from my room and went up to the Astronomy Tower to look out over the grounds. Being up high helps me to think and clears my head. I needed that cold fresh air more than anything. You have no idea how much of a shock it was to hear Ginny say that her heart belonged to me.

I think I stayed up there for hours just thinking of her and what I would say. At one point I was ready to go back into the Gryffindor Common Room and ask her to go with me to Hogsmeadee but then she sent me an owl.

She told me that she was sorry for what happened and asked for me to forgive her. Then she said she wanted us to move on and forget about the mistakes of the past. I didn't know what to think. Did she like me or not?

So I wrote to Ron and talked it over with him a bit. And then I went to see Hagrid. I told him the entire story. He told me that he'd been out of the dating game for a long time and that I might be better off talking it over with you. So I am.

I'm back up in the tower and watching the owls zoom in and out of the Gryffindor Tower. I get the feeling everyone knows what's going on and are just as conflicted as me. What do I do Remus?

Harry

Harry,

I'm very glad you came to me with this. Though I don't deny that Hagrid was right to say you'd be better off talking to someone else about the matter, I don't know if I'm the best choice. I haven't really dealt with this kind of stuff in a while, but I will gladly let you know what I would do, were I in your situation.

Firstly, I think that Ginny was afraid that she'd scared you by her confession and that is why she said what she did earlier was a mistake. You don't just tell someone you fancy them unless you really do. Well, if you're a Slytherin, maybe, but certainly not a Gryffindor.

So I think you should go with what she told you in person and not in her letter. She was scared and probably was afraid you would reject her and thought that the letter would be the best way to avoid an awkward situation.

And if you really do want to ask her to Hogsmeade, why did you wait until after she told you that she liked you?

Remus

Remus,

I'm so busted. I've liked her for a while now. I just thought she'd gotten over me and moved on. When I went to the tower, I was trying to figure out how to tell her how I felt about her without sounding like a git. Sorry I lied to you, I just didn't want to sound like even more of an idiot.

So you really think that she just freaked out because she let her emotions show? Should I go find her and tell her how I feel?

Harry

Harry,

I think you should go find her and ask her to tell you how she really feels because you're confused about the letter she sent you. Then I think you should tell her the way you feel and ask her to Hogsmeade.

And you're darn right you're busted young man. I've known you liked her for months! I just wanted you to admit it.

Good luck Harry, and be sure to let me know how it goes.

Remus

Hermione,

Harry came back and he and Ginny went somewhere in the castle for a talk. I wonder what they're talking about.

Ron

Ron,

Well, it's about time! I've spent the better half of my day inside my room waiting for updates to arrive. I can't believe that Harry takes this long to decide on these sort of things. Shouldn't he have already known how he felt about her when she first told him she loved him? Why would he have to go off all alone for the entire day?

When you finally asked me to go to Hogsmeade with just you, it didn't take me long at all to answer you! Mind you, Ginny was embarrassed by what she'd just done and retreated to her room. But why would Harry have left? I can't shake the feeling that he was rejecting her, but if he was, why has he been watching her when he thinks no one is notcing?

I wish I had stayed at Hogwarts for the holiday. I would have been able to talk things over in depth with Ginny and possibly even Harry. Maybe then we could have avoided all this drama. And while we're on the discussion of when Harry left, where were you during this time? Ginny said there was no one in the Common Room.

You'll know before I do if they get together or not, so owl me and tell me, if you don't mind. I have a feeling that unless he really does rejects her, I won't hear from Ginny today.

I love and miss you.

With Love,

Hermione

Hermione,

Well, I was still eating breakfast. I got back to an empty Common Room and then got your owl a bit later. Just so you know, they just got back. And they both have that silly smile on their faces. My guess is that my best friend just snogged my little sister. Harry told me that they're going to Hogsmeadee tomorrow. Just the two of them. So I guess they worked it out. Maybe when everyone gets back, we can have a triple date or something. I love you too and I can't wait until you get back.

Ron

December 25, 1997

Remus,

Happy Christmas! I love what you and Tonks sent me. How did you know that I've been wanting it? Did you like your present?

Well, Ginny and I talked. And we're going to Hogsmeade later today. Turns out you were right after all. Thanks for all the advice.

Love you,

Harry

Hermione,

Happy Christmas! Thank you so much for my gift. I loved it. I hope you liked yours just as much as I did mine. Usually, I'd say it was the best present I got for Christmas, but not this year! What Harry gave me was so much better than any material object in the entire world! Harry told me he likes me!

I feel like I could walk on water right now just thinking about it again! I'm so happy that I could cry or go do a dance out in the freezing cold wearing nothing my nuddy pants! He likes me! He really truly honest to goodness likes me!

He came back to the common room after four rounds of chess (where I managed to beat Ron once) and we went up to the Astronomy Tower. It was quiet up there he told me that we could talk freely without anyone overhearing. He asked me to tell him how I really felt because my letter downright confused him.

Well, there I had to hang my head and reply that I was scared of what would happen between the two of us if he didn't reciprocate my feelings so I wrote the letter, thinking it was for the best.

I told him our friendship was more important to me whole, but slightly damaged than completely torn apart. I told him that I meant every word I said to him in the Common Room and I didn't want to face rejection from him.

I told him that I loved him with all my heart and that I had ever since my fourth year. I admitted that I had a crush on him for the longest time but that I had grown to know him for the person e truly is and that I loved him not because that he was The Boy Who Lived, but instead because of his caring heart, bravery, courage, intelligence, the way he runs a hand through his messy hair when he's nervous and the way he seems to be born to live on a broomstick.

Then he told me how he'd liked me for a while but thought I was long over him. He said he first realized that he had feelings for me last Christmas when I went back to The Burrow. He said every day that passed that he didn't see me, he felt that his heart was being torn from his chest. When I came back, he said it took all he had to keep from rushing to me and telling me never to leave him again. It was that day that he stopped looking at all the other girls. Since that day, he told me, I have been the only girl he's looked at.

I asked him if that was the case, why did he leave the Common Room and hide himself for the rest of the day? It turns out that he left to try and find a way to tell me his feelings without sounding stupid and then I went and confused him with my sudden retraction so he spent the entire day up in the tower trying to figure out what to do.

It seems he and I both made a mistake or two in our past. If the two of us had just shown our Gryffindor bravery sooner, we might have had a whole year together by now. But the mistakes we've made in the past doesn't matter right now because in just two hours, he and I will be on our way to Hogsmeade in a thestral-pulled carriage. And it will be just the two of us for the very first time. And we'll go to eat a special meal at Madam Puddifut's and then we'll hold hands and walk all around the village while the snow falls gently around us.

Oh Hermione, I'm so happy. Is this what you felt like when my brother finally asked you to the village? Oh I'm sure it is. I can't imagine not feeling this elated when the guy of your dreams tells you he wants to go on a date with you. I can't imagine not feeling this way when the same guy of your dreams tilts your chin up and kisses you softly on the lips. I can't imagine not feeling this way when you know that in just two hours, you'll be beside the guy of your dreams on a day totally and completely your own.

Thank you so much for being there for me yesterday. I don't know what I would have done without you. Probably stayed hidden in my room all day and never spoken to Harry again. I would tell you the rest of the juicy details of what happened, but I don't have enough parchment left and I still have to take a shower and get ready. Imagine! Harry and I are going on our very first date!

Always,

Ginny