𝗷𝗮𝗻𝗲, harry potter

˗ˋ 40

CHAPTER FORTY
✧
-: fourth year :-

── IN WHICH RON'S
WRITTEN BACK

. . .

It hadn't been long until they made their way back to the Manor after that, the last few people at the party trailing out. Admittedly, they had stayed out longer than intended to, and after Jane had slipped around to the small shed that held all the rubbish bins to discard of the almost empty champagne bottle (it wasn't particularly full to begin with, but they had drunk enough to make their minds a little hazy and a warm feeling bubble in their stomach) the both of them had snuck up to her attic room. 

Jane had been asleep almost instantly, worn out from the day of the garden party and what proved to be a rather upsetting discussion after she had told Harry what was in the letter. But Harry wasn't so tired, having sobered up from the walk back to the house in the cool night. 

He had changed into his pajamas and settled onto his mattress on the floor, urging himself to fall asleep. But it never came, and when he heard Jane's quiet, rhythmic breathing that only really came with sleep, he slipped down to the kitchen, carefully getting a glass of water and finding his replies from Ron and Sirius. 

Harry returned to the attic room, creeping past Angela and Flora's room and sat down, leaning against the frame of Jane's bed as he stared down at the envelopes, deciding to open Ron's first, quickly tearing the seal and pulling out the piece of parchment. 

It wasn't particularly long and seemed hastily written. But it seemed lengthier than any other of the letters that Harry had received so far, so he was actually rather grateful. 

Harry, it began in the usual slightly messy scrawl. You're joking, right? Fred and George Apparated behind me when I got this and think that you're pulling my leg - they passed their tests with distinctions, apparently. I'm not sure I believe them.

Of course Fred and George would have passed their tests with distinctions. They hadn't done particularly well in their OWLs, so it made sense that they would try with something like Apparition. Harry hoped that the money he had given them from winning the Triwizard Tournment was enough.

I asked my mum about Florence Adley and she seemed excited, so I'm guessing she is real. She didn't say anything about Madam Vera though. Well, whether Jane is real or not, I'm glad you're not at the Dursleys anymore. I don't suppose they'll be happy about that, but there isn't much that they can do.

Jane's a muggle right? I heard Mum talking to Dad and Bill later and she mentioned recognising the last name. Flora is a witch anyhow, so it won't be long until she'll tell Jane about it. I asked Hermione if The International Statute of Secrecy extends to foster children and she says she isn't sure. Maybe if she gets adopted by her?

Harry smiled a little at this - Flora had already put forward a request to adopt Jane and with her being the heir of the family who created the Home and being such a good friend of Mr Winter, he was sure she was going to get it. 

The smile sunk a little when he realised that it would mean he needed to explain to Jane the extent of how he had lied to her over the summer, and suddenly he felt terrified. He forced himself to calm down, returning to the last few sentences of the letter.

Either way, if you like her that much then - there was a blotch of smudge ink here, and Harry couldn't tell what was said - Fred and George apparated again. Harry could almost hear the change in tone in Ron's words. Told me to tell you to stop being a melt and just go for it. Mum's shouting at me for swearing at them now, I think I've got to go. Have fun, okay? Even if she isn't real and Fred was right in saying you're pulling my leg.

- Ron

The Potter boy grinned - Ron's letters hadn't been the same as usual over the beginning of the summer, but this one seemed a lot more like him. After their falling out at the start of Harry's fourth year, he worried that things might have changed. But thankfully no.

With Ron's letter now read and Harry reassured that he and the ginger boy were very much firm friends as well as being pushed towards just going through things with Jane instead of 'being a melt' like Fred and George called him, he turned to the envelope with Sirius's scrawl addressing it to him.

It lacked a return address in the top corner, as did Ron's. Usually, just in case the Wizarding mail system using the owls malfunctioned and something was said wrong, the sender would add the address. 

But Sirius couldn't do this - he was on the run from the government, of course he couldn't. However, this usuality was not extended to Ron's letter. Normally, there would be the address of the Burrow, Ottery St. Catchpole in Devon. But that was missing as well.

Harry tried not to dwell on it too much as he reached for Sirius's letter, dragging open the seal.

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a/n
double update
to begin the daily
ones for a week 
<333