I like the next chapter more... but anyways, here's the next chapter! The title completely speaks for itself
Enjoy!
Sarah

Chapter 10
Harry’s Letter

Hermione stunned herself by agreeing to help Malfoy. Honestly, Draco Malfoy, who would expect a muggle-born Gryffindor to be helping the pure-blood Slytherin prat Draco Malfoy. She finished all her homework and went back to the Gryffindor common room. Running upstairs to her dormitory to drop her books inside, she saw Parvati, her room mate, opening the window to let an owl in. The owl looked strangely familiar...
“Who’s it for?” Hermione asked as she dropped onto her bed. Parvati looked at the cover of the envelope.
“You,” she said. She tossed the letter over to Hermione and she ripped it open.
Hermione,
I've really enjoyed your letters lately, couldn't get enough of them!
Well it’s not like I’d know how busy it is in 7th year, if it is at all yet. Since I have time, I thought I may as well hear how you're doing, considering you haven't done so yourself.
Anyways, I heard the Triwizard Tournament is back at Hogwarts, is it true? Why ever the ministry decided to start it back up again is out of my frame of thought.
Anyways, I’ve already located another ‘you-know-what’, Helga Hufflepuff’s goblet. Apparently it is one of the four left, soon to be three. I was just going to go out when I realized ‘I may as well remind Hermione about friends being outside the castle’.
So how has the year been so far? Have many students returned? Any new professors? Tell me everything.
Harry
P.S: If I destroy the goblet in time, I might just be able to visit Hogwarts before Christmas.
Hermione grinned and folded the letter.
“Who was it? If you don’t mind me asking...”
“Harry,” Hermione responded.
“Really? So why’s he not here this year?” Parvati questioned.
Hermione wasn’t sure if she should tell Parvati everything. “Finishing the work Dumbledore started for him.”
“What would that be?”
“Something I don’t think I can say.”
Parvati sniffed and walked out of the dormitory. Hermione folded the letter and put it in a drawer beside her bed and checked her watch. Noticing it was eight-fourty in the evening already, she sighed. She wanted to respond to Harry’s letter but didn’t have time.
The owl hooted. Looking at Harry’s snowy owl, Hedwig, Hermione chuckled.
“Sorry Hedwig, I can’t respond right this moment.” Hedwig nibbled her finger. “Can you wait a few hours? I’ll be back in about two hours or so.”
Hedwig bobbed her head in an understanding way and started searching the room; she had never been in the girls’ dormitories before, let alone Hermione’s. Grabbing a bottle of ink, a quill and parchment, Hermione rushed out of her room.
“Where’re you going?”
Hermione stopped, halfway through the Gryffindor common room. Turning around, she saw Ginny’s curious expression.
“Just going to find a quiet place to write,” Hermione responded, shrugging.
“Didn’t you finish your homework?” Ginny asked with an amused edge.
“Yeah, but who says I can’t write a letter?”
“Whom to?”
“Does it matter?” Hermione responded. Ginny looked at her suspiciously, but dropped the subject, walking away. She walked down the corridors and up some stairs. Managing to finally make it to the top of the Astronomy Tower, Hermione sat down and started writing, thankful the light still shone in the room.
Dear Harry,
It’s barely been three weeks and you’re complaining about no letters from me, eh? Well has Ron been sending letters? I wouldn’t know; I don’t really talk to him as much anymore, I just got him to submit his name into the Goblet.
So yes, obviously there is another Triwizard Tournament. But as Professor McGonagall put it, who’s now Headmistress if you didn’t know, the tournament now is more so a ‘test tournament’. Apparently the Ministry has put more security measures and wants to try the tournament out again. Beauxbatons and Durmstrang students are here also, so it’s still a real tournament, just more securities.
That’s great to here about you finding the goblet though! Very quick, considering you left nearly a month ago now. I’m proud of you, can’t wait to here how that feat goes.
Not much has happened so far, since it has been nearly a month now. Obviously we do have yet another Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, her name is Professor Silvernagle, apparently worked with Moody for awhile, so she’s very talented, too bad she won’t be around after this year. Professor Kruliki (out of story, yeah couldn’t resist, since most of ya know Secret Love, same teacher, new Transfiguration teacher, same guy, yeah... ), he’s really strict and can be really mean, he’s like Snape when he has he doesn’t like me because I’m ‘a friend of Harry Potter’, well as they put it clearly enough. With students though, a fair amount didn’t come this year.
And oh Lord, Lavender came back! Thank goodness Ron has been staying out of her way. Parvati and Padma, who did come back after a big fight with her mother. Dean and Seamus did come back though. Ginny’s getting riled up because of that. Speaking of Ginny, I think she’s still in denial about how she feels. I just suggested she’s been acting a bit off since the funeral and she started screaming at me, saying how she can live without ‘having someone push her the bloody portrait hole’. Overall, a fair amount has happened and it has even been a month yet.
So how have you been lately? Staying at the Headquarters or are you too busy to stay there? Where’ve you gone? Tell all about what’s going on lately with you.
Love,
Hermione
“Weaslette getting riled up? Doesn’t surprise me.”
Hermione jumped, nearly crumpling the letter she just wrote. Looking up, she saw Malfoy smirking down at her.
“You could say something when you come in a room!” she exclaimed as she folded the letter quickly. “And respect other people’s space, but I don’t expect you to know that.”
Malfoy smiled in mock innocence.
“Do I have to ask permission to sit down?”
Hermione looked at him contemptuously.
“Go ahead,” she responded, rolling her eyes as she scooted over, not wanting to get all that close to Malfoy.
“So what do you need help with specifically in the tournament?” she asked once a silence hovered between them.
“The first hint.”
“What it is?”
“Beast of the air, a flaming creature that lights the sky...”
“Is that it?” Hermione asked after a moment.
“What more do you expect, an essay?” Draco snapped.
Hermione started laughing.
“What?” Draco asked.
“It’s... so... obvious...” Hermione managed to get out through a fit of giggles.
“Then what is it?”
Hermione’s laughing slowly subsided. When she was fine, she started talking again.
“What is large, has scales, and breathes fire?” she asked him. “That’s basically what they’re saying... They fly, they have shining scales, they ‘light up the sky’ with their fire...”
“Dragons?”
“Exactly! They guard the egg that contains the clue for the 2nd task, you need it to continue on.”
“What’s the egg for?” Draco asked curiously. Hermione looked to be in thought for a moment.
“You know what, I’m not going to tell you yet. When you get the egg, I’ll tell you what to do with it. What really matters is how you’re going to get the egg...”
“Didn’t Potter fly?”
“Yes, he did,” Hermione responded through gritted teeth. Draco raised an eyebrow momentarily, and then blinked.