Our American Cousin

XII

Letters From Home

Dear Sara,

I'm glad to hear you've reached Hogwarts safe and sound. I hope you're behaving yourself and not challenging people to broom races or anything. If I recall, your great grandfather, whom you never met, was a Gryffindor. And yes--what I recall of him was a little more bravery than common sense. I'm rather surprised that you ended up there. I was always told that the academic types were in Ravenclaw.

Everyone is doing well here. We had some early flooding just after you left, but it wasn't too bad. The nights are starting to cool down as well. Please be good, and what's more--be safe. I can't wait to have you home.

Love and Kisses

Mom

Sara smiled and opened the next letter.

Dear Pear,

I hope you're having fun at school and learning a lot. Don't scare the English kids too much. Remember that you have the honour of your people to uphold. The grandparents send their love. Your grandfather told me to send this box along. It's full of plants so we sent it the quickest post we could. I'm being told to tell you there's a preserving charm on it.

Your old dad led a bust last week. 20,000 kilos at a drop behind Hawk Peak. The Fed boys nearly dropped from the heat in their fancy uniforms. We all got quite a laugh out of it.

I hope you'll be able to stay around after you come back. The harvest season wasn't quite the same without you.

Be good (within reason).

Love,

Dad

"Pear?" Ron looked over Sara's shoulder.

"It's a nickname." Ron smiled. "If you ever call me that I'll break your kneecaps." Sara gave a smile and opened the package as Ron backed away dramatically before heading out of the Great Hall. Right on the top of the box was Zapata bladder pod. Sara opened her next box. The contents of it were charmed small but the letter on top was full-sized. She unfolded it and began to read.

Dear Sara,

I believe I have procured everything you asked for. I hope it will be of use. I had to use some fairly flimsy excuses to get to it. I had the twins charm and package it for you. Aside from the hunters, which you know about, there is not much in the way of news to pass on. Things have become quiet, but it feels like the air before a summer thunderstorm. I don't like it, and neither does anyone else. I'll do my best to keep you apprised, but I'm just the lab boy. Take care. Remember--you're needed here as well.

Sincerely yours,

Nathan

Sara glanced into the box, noting the pile of tiny notebooks looking like they belonged in a doll house rather than a school. She took a deep breath, and shoved some of the memories they invoked aside. ' I'll think about it in the morning,' she thought to herself, and picked up the next letter.

Dear Sara,

School's been so boring without you. Mr. Dunkin is extra hard this year.

Sara squinted at the letter with the little dancing doodle at the bottom. With a quick spell the letters rearranged themselves.

Sara

Re: equipment request

Justin O'Brennen Hufflepuff

PW: what's the price of carrots?

RP: 32 pence

L and C

Richard

PS get email

Sara quickly committed the words to memory and muttered a second charm which disintegrated the paper.

"Sara?" Sara looked up at Hermione, who was gathering up her breakfast reading. "Are you coming to the library to study?" Sara looked around at the slowly growing Saturday breakfast crowd.

"It's still a little early for me, Hermione. I'll wait until the coffee has hit my brain."

"Your loss." Hermione picked up her book bag with a grunt that stated that it was already too heavy.

"That girl's gonna burn out." Sara shook her head and opened a large box postmarked Seattle.

Sara,

Here's the beta modules. If those things survive at Hogwarts, we're all going to be very rich. Results would be nice by next board meeting. Also included is coffee, just to show how much I love you. Try to make the next conference call.

Anthony

Sara peeked into the box and saw what looked like a small CD stereo system and a Discman. The WE logo of Wizarding Electrons was blazoned across both. The last small box in front of her was empty, except for a piece of concrete with the words Wall Street written on it in sharpie. Sara pushed the other boxes under the long benches and placed the concrete in front of her.

"What's that?" Harry asked.

"Personal addiction," Sara replied. With a quick touch of her wand a square of light hovered in front of her as if it was projected from the rock. It was gray and she could still see Harry though it. A second touch brought up the New York Stock Exchange web site. "Woot!"

"What is that?" Harry asked.

"New York Stock Exchange. I haven't been able to check my portfolio in weeks. I could be broke for all I know."

"It's like a computer?"

"Sort of. A friend of mine is working really hard on mixing computers and magic. He's figured out how to take something like a rock and link it to something like the New York Stock Exchange web site. It's still a little iffy--I can't actually trade on this thing, and the charm wears off in a couple of weeks, but it's better than nothing." Harry found it horribly amusing to watch Sara go over her stock reports in much the same way Ron went over Quidditch scores. He was about to go track down Hermione at the library when Draco came up to the Gryffindor table.

"Hello, Potter."

"Malfoy," Harry greeted him carefully. The rumour mill was saying that Draco refused the Dark Mark over the summer, that he'd been disowned by his father and, like Snape, was under Dumbledore's protection. In Harry's mind, this didn't mean Draco still couldn't be a rat bastard, but Draco hadn't made more than a few halfhearted jabs at him or his friends this year, almost as if he were doing it for old time's sake.

"Sara?" Sara looked up from her quarterly reports.

"Hey Draco," Sara said, and hoped he wasn't going to bring up Potions.

"I couldn't help but notice that little charm there. I'm afraid I have not been able to look over my personal investments in some weeks and I was wondering if I might borrow your... rock to do so at some point, if it would not be too much trouble." Harry almost choked. Draco never asked for things, and he certainly never asked nicely.

"Sure thing. Take a seat. This thing should be set up for multiple users. Just tap the rock twice." It took a few moments for Draco to get use to the internet interface, but soon Sara and Draco were engaged in conversation that was going painfully high over Harry's head.

"I'm telling you--this is the time to get out of the tech market. The bubble's gonna pop in a year, maybe two tops. And with the presidential elections coming up, things are going to be shaky, and we're really looking at a recession no matter who wins."

"Yes, but I'm not getting the type of returns that I should be on blue chips."

"Then sink into thirty year bonds or something safe." Listening to the conversation Harry had a gut reaction to contact Sirius about investing some of his money. He quickly pushed the year-old pain into the back of his mind. He was about to leave and was forever glad he decided to take his time because it allowed him to witness the most amazing, if slightly nauseating, thing he'd seen in awhile. Ginny Weasley wandered into the Great Hall, her eyes still heavy with sleep, and approached the table, at which point Draco stood up.

"Good morning, Ginevra." Draco greeted her with a slight formal bow. You could have knocked Harry over with a feather. He had never heard anyone use Ginny's full name. No one. Not Ron, not her mother, no one.

"Good morning, Draco," Ginny replied pleasantly, then sat down and

began breakfast with her friends. Draco sat down as well and went back to IPOs, but as Harry watched, Draco would ever so often in the middle of conversation glance up at Ginny, with a soft look. Harry didn't know whether to laugh or puke.