Violet Potter and the Basilisk Plague (Year Two)

Chapter Three: Gilderoy Lockhart

Dear Emily, Mr. And Mrs. Spencer:

I have sent this letter by wing of Eros to let you know that I have made it to the Weasleys safely and without any incident, although travelling by Floo Network made me feel almost as if I was going to tumble out violently sick on the other side. I much prefer broomsticks and travelling by car or Hogwarts Express, I can tell you.

The Weasleys are all a very nice, decent, and happy family. Mrs. Weasley is still fussing over Harry right down to the state of his socks. And Mrs. Weasley always makes sure to feed him extra helpings at every meal and makes certain that we are always doing kind things to make him feel welcome and wanted. Not that she needs to tell any of us. Those Dursleys ought to be ashamed of themselves. They had Harry under lockdown in his bedroom like some prisoner, and on our shared birthday! As if they could keep him from returning to the very world he belongs in for long. If they knew what Harry had already accomplished, they probably wouldn't think so much of themselves.

But enough about the Dursleys. Mr. Weasley is much more fun to talk about. Do you know that he has gone and enchanted a baby blue Ford Anglia to fly? Mr. Weasley works with misused muggle artefacts at the Ministry of Magic, and sometimes he has to bring his work home, or he collects certain non-magic items you and I probably wouldn't ever think as much of. But it fascinates him, I think, to discover more about how muggles have always been able to survive and even be happy without magic.

I didn't get to meet Bill or Charlie yet, they are Ron's two oldest brothers and they have already left Hogwarts and home. One of them is a curse breaker at Gringotts and the other is a dragon-keeper. Then there's Percy, who is most likely to become Head Boy in his final year and was also voted most likely to succeed at the Ministry of Magic. We don't see him all that much even though he is still living at the Burrow. When we do see him, it is usually at mealtimes or whenever he is lecturing Fred, George, or Ron over something. Or bossing the only Weasley sister, Ginny around the place. She's the youngest and about to begin her first year at Hogwarts, which she is so excited for. I think she also likes Harry a little too much personally. You know, the Boy Who Lived and all.

We are all travelling to London first thing after breakfast tomorrow, so that we will be buying everything we need for school. You should just see the Hogwarts School Supply List this year. More than half of the textbooks were written by someone named Gilderoy Lockhart. Apparently he's a really big deal in the wizarding world. Even Mrs. Weasley has books by Lockhart and swears by his advice on how to run a happy and orderly household. Fred and George think the new DADA teacher will likely be a witch because of all the Lockhart books. I think it may be more likely that Lockhart himself will be the new teacher. I mean it's Hogwarts, you just never know about so many things. From what I already learned about Lockhart, well...I will reserve my judgments of him until I have seen him in action, but I'm not holding my breath in much anticipation. He's one of those celebrities who appear to be more about the glamour than anything real or substantial.

I shall write home again when I have settled into my second year at Hogwarts. This year hopefully, nothing is going to go very badly wrong. Second year is also the first year most Hogwarts students are traditionally expected to find and sign up for social extracurriculars with like-minded students. Most of the Weasley brothers (except Percy and Ron) have always been players on the Gryffindor Quidditch team, and Percy is a Gryffindor prefect. Harry has Quidditch now as well and Tori really wants to have a go at beginning cheerwitch tryouts. I have no ideas yet as to where I will end up, but once again, it is Hogwarts, so who knows?

Love from Violet

***

The morning that the Potter twins and the Weasley family were to set out to buy their new school supplies finally came. And unfortunately, everyone ended up sleeping in a little longer than originally planned, so when Mrs. Weasley could be overheard by everyone in the Burrow to shriek at her husband, "Arthur, wake up this instant! We've all overslept!" It was pure pandemonium.