Harry Potter: My Life as Hermione’s Houseguest

Dear Hermione,

It feels like ages since we last saw each other, and I miss you dearly. I also miss Uncle David and Aunt Jenny very much.

Before I left, I promised I'd write, and I really did buy an owl who can deliver letters. His name is Trigger—by now, you've probably met him.

But after term started, life here became a whirlwind. Being new at school, I didn't have much of value to share right away, so I kept putting off this letter until today. I hope you're not too cross with me.

(At this point, Hermione thought to herself: I was quite cross, but seeing your honest apology, I suppose I can forgive you.)

About this grand school of magic—aside from being truly spectacular, it's also a bit of a headache. The place is enormous, with two or three hundred staircases, and some of them change position all the time. One day a staircase leads up, the next it goes down, or sometimes it simply won't go anywhere at all. I get lost constantly. Because of this, Elvis and I have nearly missed breakfast more than once.

Speaking of which, Elvis is my roommate. I have three other roommates as well—Wilson, Jimmy, and Burke.

Their surnames, I'm told, have long histories connected to the Sacred Twenty-Eight families. Of course, these days, bloodline talk is a bit outdated. We just treat it as fun trivia—like when I told them that "Qin" was the name of China's first great unified dynasty. It's just an amusing connection to my surname, not that I'm actually descended from emperors!

All four are great people—friendly and lively. When you come here next year, I'll introduce you to them. I'm sure you'll get along splendidly.

(Hermione: I wonder how you'd introduce me? As a roommate too? Ha!)

I nearly forgot—I'm in Gryffindor House, one of the four houses at Hogwarts. Our emblem is a lion, representing steadiness and courage. I have a hunch that if you come here, you'll be sorted into Gryffindor too. That would make me your upperclassman.

The other three houses are Slytherin, Ravenclaw, and Hufflepuff.

There's always a bit of rivalry between the houses. The Slytherins like to provoke us now and then, but they don't dare do anything outrageous—just a bit of silly talk or pulling faces. In that sense, magical school students aren't so different from Muggles.

As for the dorms, being a boy, I can't tell you what the girls' dormitory is like, but I hear it's much nicer—big wardrobes and dressing tables and all that. Of course, boys don't care much about those things—Jimmy and the others swear they're not jealous at all.

What I can tell you is that the Gryffindor common room is lovely—warmly decorated, with a huge fireplace. When you arrive, we can sit there and chat over tea.

(At this, Hermione paused, picturing herself by the fire in conversation, and couldn't help but smile.)

The most important thing at Hogwarts, of course, is our magical classes. You probably know the names already: Herbology, Potions, Transfiguration, Charms, Flying, History of Magic, and Defense Against the Dark Arts. There are so many, I wanted to try each one before telling you about them—that's another reason I put off writing for so long.

(Hermione: No need to wait! You could have written more than one letter, you know.)

Herbology is quite fun. The teacher is Professor Sprout, who's also the Head of Hufflepuff. She's very kind, and her greenhouse is full of magical plants—some of them quite valuable! I'm hoping to befriend her and maybe get my hands on something good to sell in Diagon Alley.

Of course, I haven't told her my plan yet.

—I'm only now learning what it means to be stumped by a single Galleon. Even in the wizarding world, you need money, or you can't even afford a decent flying broomstick. Most importantly, I want to buy one for you, too. Let's hope I can save enough by the time you start school. P.S.: Muggle currency is nearly impossible to use here—only tiny amounts can be exchanged.

Flying class is what I look forward to most. The teacher is Madam Hooch—she's especially cool. But when I asked if we could swap out broomsticks for swords, she looked at me like I'd lost my mind. Maybe she's a bit set in her ways, not very open to new ideas. I don't mind flying on a broomstick, really—I just thought more options would be nice.

History of Magic is… well, not much to say. The teacher is the ghost, Professor Binns. Most students nod off in his class—I bet you'd be the only one who could stay awake.

Transfiguration is taught by our Head of House, Professor McGonagall. Right now we're learning basic transfiguration—turning small animals into objects. It's tricky. My first try was turning a snail into an eraser, but the eraser was so hard it couldn't erase anything.

Charms is taught by Professor Flitwick. He says if you pronounce the spell precisely and move your wand just right, you'll succeed. Sounds easy—just a mouth and a hand, right? But in reality, things go wrong all the time. There have been several magical explosions already.

Those tongue-twisting incantations are really hard to get right. I suspect spells are some kind of language for communicating with higher powers—maybe when you recite them with intent, you're actually talking to something divine or channeling a force. But Professor Flitwick told me not to overthink it. He says such deep questions can wait until I'm further along in my studies.

Now for the main event: Defense Against the Dark Arts. The teacher, Professor Stephen Swenton, absolutely loves scaring people. He's always showing us gruesome images of dark magic or dangerous creatures—sometimes right under your nose! Some students have already been sick in class, and many lose their appetite afterward. I'm fine, though—it hasn't affected me much.

But I doubt he'll be teaching your year. I've heard he's a restless soul who loves to travel. After this year, he's set to resign and head off to the Himalayas to search for ancient wizarding ruins.

It's a pretty cool hobby. If I ever have enough money, I'd love to travel the world too—seeking magical creatures or exploring ancient sites. If you're willing, I'd take you along.

(Hermione: Traveling the world sounds wonderful. Since you're so sincere, I might just consider it.)

Potions is the class I most wanted to tell you about. The teacher is Professor Severus Snape. At first glance, he seems impossible to get along with, but I think he's actually quite kind underneath it all.

Of course, that doesn't mean his class is easy.

Potions requires two things: knowing your ingredients and understanding the recipes and methods. Professor Snape loves to spring questions on us about various ingredients. I got called on once and lost a point for guessing—awkward, but fair.

I'm sure you'd master all that knowledge in no time. But a word of advice: don't be too eager to raise your hand in his class. He's a bit contrary—if you're too keen, he won't call on you, and might even make a few cutting remarks. I think he does it to keep us from getting too full of ourselves, but his words can be harsh. Try not to take them to heart.

All in all, the classes are fascinating. I know you'll settle in quickly.

I've written so much, I'm nearly out of space! That's about all for now. If anything interesting happens, I'll write again.

Oh, I almost forgot—when I was in Diagon Alley, I saw a beautiful hair clip (the one in this envelope). I thought it would look perfect on you, so I bought it. I hope you like it. Here's a tip: if you tap the cat's eyes twice, the clip will light up, and you can press and turn it to adjust the brightness.

Finally, I wish you happiness every day, dear Hermione, and send my best to Uncle David and Aunt Jenny.

With love,

Qin

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