Every week, Orli made it a point to correspond with Snape via owl. Before boarding the train, she had cautiously asked if she could consult him about Potions during the holidays. Last year, she hadn't dared to bother him, only to be scolded mercilessly later. This year, she was determined not to make the same mistake.
The Potions professor's response at the time had been:
# Snape: "You'd better save up your questions and ask them all at once each week. I have no desire to waste my time every single day answering the foolish queries of a lower-year Gryffindor."
After much consideration, Orli decided that sending three questions every Friday evening seemed reasonable. She also resolved to ensure that none of the questions were particularly stupid. Merlin help her, the amount of mental effort she spent on this was nearly on par with practicing Occlumency.
Occasionally, she had to find time to "test potions" on Scabbers. Though the substances she fed him were harmless sweeteners, preparing them still took time.
On the first weekend of summer break, she went out of her way to a public phone booth two blocks away to call Harry. Harry's voice had sounded incredibly excited. Unfortunately, this phone call turned out to be the only one. When Ron tried calling Harry the second time, it was Vernon Dursley who answered. Amid the furious, spit-flying roars of that obese Muggle, their four-way telephone communication plan was abruptly scrapped.
Although Sirius was unlikely to escape from prison again, Orli decided to play it safe. She exchanged a significant number of contribution points in the system for the Patronus Charm. Unfortunately, perhaps due to a lack of sufficiently happy memories, her wand could only produce wisps of white smoke.
In late July, Ron sent her a letter from Egypt, along with a photo. The entire red-haired Weasley family was gathered under a pyramid, waving enthusiastically at her. Fred and George stood in the middle of the back row, forming a giant heart shape with their arms. They were all dressed in loose white robes but sported red Turkish hats on their heads. In his letter, Ron mentioned that Bill had taken them to nearly all the pyramids, which were filled with bizarre spells and various skeletons. Ron seemed absolutely thrilled about it all. Even the news that Percy had been elected Head Boy couldn't dampen his excitement—his handwriting was so messy it looked like it was about to leap off the parchment.
Hermione's letter arrived almost simultaneously with Ron's, accompanied by a hefty book. Dryncorpse, who had flown back and forth across the English Channel, was utterly exhausted. Her letter read:
Dear Orli,
How's your summer going? I hope your homework is coming along well. I've completely rewritten my History of Magic essay to include some discoveries I made in France. The wizarding bookstores here have some fascinating magic, though the pronunciations are a bit tricky. I also came across this book, and I'm sure you'll find it interesting.
P.S. Don't forget to meet up at Diagon Alley during the last week of the holiday.
Thinking of you,
Hermione
Orli set down Hermione's letter and tore off the wrapping paper on the book. Although her French was limited, she immediately recognized the name on the spine—Gérande, a renowned French Potions master. His works were the standard Potions textbooks at Beauxbatons. Orli couldn't help but exclaim excitedly, "Wow."
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Author's Note:
The Waters' old house can block the Ministry of Magic's detection of underage magic use. This was mentioned in earlier chapters, so it's not a plot hole.
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