The Letters to No One - Romione

Chapter 40

'Hermione! Hermione, breakfast is ready.' She heard her Mother's voice ringing up from the kitchen. Hermione groaned noticing the time on the alarm clock on her bed side table, it was way to early to get up. She listened again as her Mum attempted to get her to come downstairs. 

It was no use. She had managed to spend almost every minute in her bedroom since she'd arrived back home three days ago. No amount of persistence from her parents would get her to leave, not until she was ready. She wondered at what point her mum would give up. It would have to be soon as she had work in half an hour. Hermione decided that she would wait until they left before heading downstairs to grab some food.

'Hermione,' she heard again, only this time it was followed by footsteps. Her bedroom door swung open and she felt the bed shift as her Mum sat down on the end of it. 'Hermione, I have a letter for you.' She said in a soft and soothing voice, the kind you'd use when talking to a baby.

'I don't want it,' Hermione replied, pulling the covers up over her head so that her Mum couldn't see her red and swollen eyes. She had a pile of letters on her desk, all of which had arrived by owl, mostly from Ron but a couple from Harry and Ginny. They were all unopened, although she couldn't quite bring herself to bin them. A part of her couldn't resist the temptation. 

'It's not like the others,' her Mum said and Hermione found herself sitting up to look at her Mum properly. After a few moments of silence her Mum continued 'It' s from the school,' she flipped the letter over and Hermione recognised the red crest stamped onto the back of the parchment envelope, the familiarity of the green inked letters.

'I don't want it,' Hermione repeated, pushing the letter away as her Mum tried to give it to her. 'I've already told you, I just want to go back to my old school. I can catch up and still sit my exams in the summer. I was already a few months ahead of everyone else so if I start now then I'm sure that I'll be ready in time for the...'

'You can't go back to your old school,' her Mum said, cutting Hermione off. 'We've talked about this. After what's happened at Hogwarts your Dad and I don't think it's healthy for you to sit these exams, it will be too much pressure on you and we don't think that you can handle that right now. You can start again in September if that's what you still want.'

'But just talk to the Headmistress, she'll tell you that I'll be fine, that I can...'

'She agrees with us that this is not a good idea.' Her Mum said, trying to get the message across, although Hermione didn't seem to be listening to her.

'But I can do it.' Hermione protested.

'I'm sure you could,' her Mum replied. 'But I'm afraid that we're not letting you.' 

'Then what am I supposed to do for the next six months?' Hermione asked, frustrated. 

'Read this,' her Mum said, dropping the letter onto the bed so that she didn't have a chance to push it away. 'Maybe you'll figure something out.'

She watched as her Mum left the room before turning over in her bed, not wanting to look at the letter for even a second. That stupid, stupid letter. She wished that she'd never accepted her Hogwarts letter in the first place. She'd been fine living a normal, magic free life and now what? She had left Hogwarts and wasn't even allowed to go back to her old school. What a waste of time it had all been. She wished she'd stuck with her gut and stayed at home.

But the feasts and the magic and the great hall and the ball and Ron... Her thoughts trailed off as she began to cry in frustration. It was too much to think about and there was no point dwelling on it now. She didn't want to go back. She couldn't go back. Not after everything that had happened. She closed her eyes, deciding that it was easier to sleep than to think about all of her problems. But sleeping was no better. Her dreams were full of magical schools with magical red headed wizards. Her heart ached and all she could do was cry.

She dragged herself out of bed and watched as the parchment envelope fluttered to the floor. She picked it up and took it downstairs with her, placing it onto the kitchen table as she boiled the kettle and made herself some toast. 

She stared at it whilst she ate until the temptation grew too much and she ripped open the envelope, almost ripping the letter inside in her haste. Her eyes scanned over it, not properly taking in any of the words that were written, just the signature at the bottom.

Professor McGonagall. 

She stopped, wondering why on earth she was writing to her and forced herself to re-read the letter, reading each word slowly and carefully to ensure that she understood every one. 

She had passed every exam. With almost full marks. Better than everyone who'd ever sat those exams before her. Brightest witch of her age. 

She picked up certain phrases as she read, still not able to take in the complete contents of the letter. She has passed every exam? With practically full marks? If she was as bright as McGonagall said that she was then why did she feel so behind? Why did she feel like such a failure? It didn't make any sense and Hermione found herself reading the letter over and over until she had practically memorised every single word. 

Maybe going to Hogwarts hadn't been the biggest mistake of her life.

Maybe leaving it had been.

*

Hi everyone, sorry for such a long delay between these last two chapters! I've been doing some very important exams over the last couple of months and they are now finished! I'm hoping to update this story regularly over the next few weeks and get it finished! We're almost at the end now and I hope that you all enjoy it.