It had been sheer fate or luck or happenstance that both the letter and the  Prophet  arrived via the same owl. Had Hermione read the  Prophet  first, she might have thrown the letter away unopened, horrified, or otherwise Banished the little piece of parchment that would forever change the course of her life and the Wizarding world. Had the  Prophet  been folded slightly differently, if she had seen a few letters more of the headline, she might have snatched it free from the owl and read it right where she stood, eyes roving over every line with growing panic and rage and fear. Had she read the  Prophet  first, she might have screamed, or fainted, or otherwise alerted the other residents of the Burrow that something had gone horrifically, dreadfully wrong with their plans. Perhaps it might have all been different, Hermione would reflect later, agonising over her choices. Perhaps it might have been different right from the start, if she’d only read the  Prophet  first.