Hermione had tried several times over the summer and continued to try during the first half of the school year to connect with Ron. She had gone to visit him whenever possible and wrote long letters when she couldn’t visit. In the beginning, she had thought that it was simply his way of grieving. Certainly, he didn’t mean to be cruel but his temper was often explosive with no provocation. By winter break, most of her letters had gone completely unanswered. 