Year Two: The Secret of Slytherin

Part 1

Summer 1992

Anne was sitting at her desk doing her homework for the summer. She returned home about a month ago from her first year at Hogwarts. She thought back to what an interesting year it had been. She and her friends Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger had discovered that Lord Voldemort, the thought-to-be-dead evil wizard who had been possessing one of the Hogwarts Professor Quirrell, had been after a secret stone that could resurrect him and bring him to full power. Harry, who had survived Voldemort when he was a baby, was able to defeat him a second time. 

Before leaving for the summer, Anne and her friends promised to keep in touch. She had gotten plenty of letters from Ron and Hermione but none from Harry. She mentioned this to Ron and Hermione only to learn that they, too hadn't received any letters from him. This was odd because Harry had promised he would stay in touch.

As she sat pondering about what was going on with Harry, she heard a tapping outside her window. She looked over to see a gray owl perched on the window sill with a rolled up piece of parchment. Anne opened the window. The owl flew in and landed on her desk. Eagerly, she the parchment from the owl's leg.

Dear Anne,

Hope you are doing well. I found out that someone has been intercepting  our letters to Harry. Why? I'm not sure. Anyway, Ron and his brothers decided to pay a visit and help him escape from his horrible Muggle relatives who have been keeping him locked up in his room. They managed to break him out and take him to their home where he is currently spending the rest of the summer.

I'm glad Harry is okay for now. I was so worried about him, and I know you were too. I'm doing well and so are my folks. We're planning to go to London next week to buy new school supplies, Would you and your family like to join us in Diagon Alley? Ron told me he and Harry would be there as well. Let me know if you would like to join us. Also, if you want, you could stay with me and my folks until we go back to school.

Your Friend,

Hermione

Anne rolled up the letter and put it on the pile with the other letters she had received. She gave the owl some bread she saved and got out a piece of parchment to send a reply.

Dear Hermione,

Glad to hear Harry is okay and away from those awful Muggles. I hope Ron and his brothers didn't to anything illegal to break him out. I'll send them a letter to let them know we'll see them in Diagon Alley next week.

I'm doing all right and so is the rest of my family. They haven't stopped talking about Harry ever since I told them about him. However, my father speaks ill of him every time I bring him up and disapproves of friendship with him. I don't know why he hates Harry so much so I try to avoid the subject as much as possible. But no matter what he says I'll always be friends with Harry and with you and Ron. My father is a difficult man to live with. Don't ask me how and why, it's complicated.

I most certainly would like to spent the rest of the summer with you and your family. My family surely won't mind and my father will be going away again on one of his medical trips. I look forward to seeing you next week.

Your Friend,

Anne

She rolled up her parchment and tied it to the owl's leg before sending it on its way.

Anne woke early the following Wednesday. After breakfast of toast and eggs, she pulled on her coat, grabbed her book bag along with the list of books she would need for her second year. Once everyone was ready, Anne took a handful of glittering powder from the flowerpot Andromeda had offered her for Floo transportation.

"Diagon Alley!" she shouted as she threw the powder into the fireplace and was engulfed by green flames.

She landed with a thud in a different fireplace that was etched in a stone wall. She stepped out and found herself in front of the snow-white building----Gringotts Bank. Once the rest of her family emerged, they made their way inside Gringotts to collect the money she would need to buy her school supplies.