Hermione had instructed the school owl in a series of hoots, barking calls, and twit twoos to stay and wait for a return letter, which it had been happy to agree to do. Her parents wrote back right away to express their joy about her new friendships, and to do some of their usual nagging about studying. They were happy to hear that she was doing well in all her classes, as well as keeping up with her extra-curricular studies in Muggle subjects, and reminded her that they expected exemplary grades at the end of the year. They were also pleased to hear that she was continuing with her violin practice fairly regularly, as Millicent thankfully found Hermione’s playing quite pleasant and not as screechy as she’d first feared it might be.