Love Note Leavers Errand Finished

Mentions @Hjørdis Jensen

After handing off the letter to his friend and colleague, Zahid hesitated before grabbing another (bigger) piece of parchment and exchanging his ink for the normal blue one again. After a moment, he exchanged the ink again, picking a simple black ink instead. It seemed more apt. Colourful was not how he would describe the recipient of his next letter, not even in life.



He tuned out his surroundings while he wrote his letter. Writing these letters was cathartic in a way and he simply kept writing and writing what came to mind. He only stopped and hesitated when he caught himself writing that he hoped the letter would find his friend well. It felt strange writing that, considering. Maybe he should phrase it differently. He probably had signed a letter off like this before but for some reason today it just felt wrong.

Tapping the quill against his chin, he thought on how to end his letter. Oh well, he would just end it there regardless. Signing off the letter, he set it down to dry. That had ended up being a longer letter than he had thought it would be – and he had not even gone into details. But then, it had been over a year since he had written another one of these.

Reducio

Hello old friend,
It's been a while since I've written to you. I feel I must apologize but I have been quite busy lately and even before that – I have never had as many people to write to as I have now. I know you always said I would find friends when I least expect it (since I would never expect it) and I suppose you were right.

I have written you during my travels, I know that, but did I actually write to you since I began teaching at this school? It is a boarding school and a magical one at that. I never thought I would end up here, it never occurred to me. Back home I always thought I would simply stay at Garyounis until I retired at sometime far in the future. As you know, the civil war nixed that plan. Or more accurately, its aftermath. But I already wrote to you of that story.

Still, these days I consider the change in plans a good thing that came of a bad situation. A silver lining, if you will. Although, admittedly, parts of school life here are far more dangerous than I expected them to be. I do not know how close I came to dying in October. I only know that it had not looked good for a moment there. If Caradoc – one of the friends I may have made that I did not expect – had not apparated us out... Well, I might have seen you again sooner than either of us would like.

I miss you and I do look forward to seeing you again one day but I also do hope that that day is a long time coming. There is still too much I want to see or do in this world. And I know you would only scold me, too, if I arrived on those shores too soon. You were right, however, that while time far from 'heals all wounds' it does get easier to cope with said wounds. And it helps to have found new friends. I will never forget you, my friend, even if some days I barely remember your face or your voice – I still remember the mischief you would get up to and try to drag me into.

But I began writing this letter to tell you about what had happened lately. As I mentioned above, I now teach at a Wizarding school. I thought it would be a nice idea to settle down after years of travelling and to maybe be able to call a place home again but so far, I can only say I have settled in. Settling down implies a certain amount of rest, I suppose, and rest is not easily found in this school it seems. Oh, there are down times, of course there are, but there is so much happening. I vastly underestimated the amount of mischief magical children and teenagers get up to (I certainly was never this bad but then I did not have much interaction with other magical children). And then there is the rest. There is unrest in the Magical world here it seems.

I only hope I have not moved here to settle down only to be uprooted again by another civil war. But even worse is what has been happening right in this school. Apparently the Headmaster has been missing – for months! – and no one noticed. He was last seen in October apparently, before Halloween... Oh, that night. So much happened there. There was a Ball and students were attacked at the ball and it seems there have been attacks since?

And me and two other professors, we were lured away from the ball to the forest, under the pretence of students fighting out on the grounds and needing intervention... But we walked right into a trap. I still shudder when I think of that night. I have never seen an Avada Kedavra this close up before. And I would much prefer never to do so again, and it was not even aimed at me. I do not even think I have ever seen one before, period. Nor do I want to see a colleague impaled again. We may have survived, but we still know next to nothing about the who or why of the attack.

I miss your advice, my friend. I do not know who to trust. Some, well, one mainly; some of my fellow faculty members do not seem trustworthy at all – and apparently there is some possible evidence against the school nurse of all people! If you cannot trust your medical personnel... And we might not be able to... Well, at least one or more of the professors have some talent or knowledge in healing from what I understand. Still, it is not a comforting thought to think that you cannot trust the one you would go to for healing not to harm you instead. The things a healer has access to...

But let us speak of happier things, I do not wish to leave things on such a worrying note. (Not that these things are any less worrisome by speaking of happier things instead.) I do not believe I have told you about Herodotus yet. Or, did you know that Antonio and Constanza are now godparents? I admit I wish I could be mouse on that wall, given how much neither of them ever wanted children and how uncomfortable they seemed to be at the idea of (even temporarily) caring for one. It may not be nice, but I have to confess to a bit of schadenfreude on that account. At least with these two I know they do not mind my teasing them about the matter.

Now, Herodotus. Remember me mentioning Gurzil in some of my letters to you back when I still lived in Benghazi? I had decided that having moved to a permanent residence (despite it being a boarding school) was the perfect time to finally get my own cat. Yes, you may laugh at me for how many years it took. Still, I went to buy a kitten from the local Menagerie and there was this one little kitten that instantly made me think of Gurzil... and that kitten is Herodotus. Dot has been my trusted companion for almost a year now. He's a curious little adventurer at times but he is also very tactile and affectionate. In the beginning I could simply carry him along in my jacket but lately he has been growing too big – he loves playing scarf though and can spend ages draped around my neck if I let him. It is relaxing, having him purr along while grading.

I hope this letter finds you – Hm. I suppose the letter will find you well, given the circumstances? In any case, this is all I will write for today.
Love,
Zahid.

______________________________________
OOC Note: Permission to simply hand the letter off has been given.

Letter: 4/?

WC (Letter): 1157

WC (RP): 216

Her second letter done and safely tucked away, Dealla flopped back onto the beanbag dramatically and stared at the ceiling for a long moment. Why was this so hard? She wouldn't have any trouble just talking to her parents, if that were an option, she knew that for a fact. If her mum were here, she would be going on and on and on about Potions, about Herbology, and about the fungus she'd found with Blake in that out of the way corridor. If her dad were here...
She stopped short and sat back up abruptly. Maybe that was the problem? She had been trying to cram all her experiences into one letter, when in fact, the things she wanted to talk to them about were completely different.
Carefully, Dee smoothed a new sheet of parchment out on the clipboard, and set to writing.

Hi Dad,

Do you miss me? I'm pretty sure you do, because I miss you a lot. Hogwarts is great, but it's still not the same as being home, I'm sure you understand what I mean?
I still sometimes wish I had gotten into Slytherin just because it would be a connection to you, because I would be in the same Common Room that you used to sit in. But I've grown attached to Ravenclaw, I think. My friends there are nice, and living in our tower definitely beats the dungeons!
We're supposed to write letters today, to spread positivity or something, but all I can think about is how I wish I could tell you about all of my adventures here. Don't tell mum, but I've found some pretty cool stuff here. And friends to get in trouble with. You should be proud of me. I went to swim in the Great Lake, have you ever done that? It was ice cold, so I didn't stay long.
I know you're worried about me, but you don't have to. I'm fine, and I've never heard from them. Won't stop me from showing them how wrong they are, though!
I love you , and I miss you, and I'll see you in the summer.

Love, Dee

With a sigh, Dee set down the glitter pen. The letter didn't convey half of what she wanted to say, but it was a start. Her father would understand.

Word Count: 388 | Letter 3/5

Dear Mama,
I miss you... but but not like too much, do not worry, just like, a healthy amount of missing you. Things are good here, and very interesting. This place is way bigger than I thought! You told me about it but it is way better than any of the stories you shared.

I got sorted into Slytherin, you were a Griffindor, right? Or were you a Ravenclaw? You never told me too much about your house, now I'm kind of wishing you had. Or maybe you did and I just didn't listen. That's probably more likely... I've really been working on my listening skills, I promise! When I get home would you tell me more stories? Now maybe I will have some of my own to tell!

I'm so excited for what the year has in store for me. It is gonna be awesome, I just know it!

Much love,
Gen

P.s. You are way better at this writing thing than I am. Tell dad I say "hi!"

Word count: 305 Letter:1/5

Mentions @Crystal Jagger

Re-dipping their quill, Mars ran the feather part of it over their knuckles, thinking about all the wixes they had encountered throughout their time here. They'd never been particularly social, so there weren't many that stuck out to them but—Crystal.

Crystal Jagger, was it? Mars hadn't talked to the witch since the train ride to Hogwarts. They smiled at the memory of it. That had been an interesting train ride indeed. Mars was surprised they hadn't run into any of the other wixes on campus. Then again, it wasn't as if they'd tried too.

Tugging a piece of parchment out from the two paper stack, they laid it out in front of them. They set the quill tip to the paper and began to write.

To Crysta,

Hello! Long time no see. I don't really know you that well... but I suppose that's the point of a letter. I hope you're doing well. Has your mother sent you any more snacks from home? I'd love it if I could get baked goods but God knows Lady Estella isn't about to do that, and my brothers can't bake for sh*t, so that's a no go. I wonder if being raised around magic had made your transition smoother than mine? Hell, even if you weren't raised around magic, your transition was probably smoother than mine. I still can't find the dining hall 90% of the time, so... Anyway, I digress. Have studies been treating you well? I enjoy Charms a lot more than I thought I would. Magic has a certain—longing too it, the longer you're around it. Have you been on any adventures? If you have time, we ought to do one together. I'm basically always free (that's a lie, I just cram homework at midnight, but still). We should catch up. Hope to hear from you soon.

Magically yours, Mars

They folded it up like all the ones before. Now, one left.

WC: 329
Errand Progress: 4/5

Interacting with @Riley Swan

Dear Aunt Lyra,

It is me your little bundle of fun and fantastic niece Riannon (I was told that having self-confidence is a nice quirk to have, so I am boosting my ego a little bit).
As you know I have started my journey as a student at Hogwarts and you can rejoice because, like you, I am a Hufflepuff. I guess it is not that surprising when you know me. But anyway I finally settled down a little bit and I can go to all my classes without getting lost or being late. As of right now, I do not have a favourite subject but I do enjoy spending my time outside during flying lessons or herbology. Even if some of those plants sound quite nasty to be around. I would prefer to I keep all my fingers on my hand.
It is still quite early in the school year so I haven't made many friends yet, but as I am writing this I have next to me a nice Ravenclaw girl. Her name is Riley and she is cool to speak to so I guess we may hang out again later. Also for now Magnus has been a good older brother even if we are not in the same House.
I guess that all the news I have for now. So give all my best to uncle and the two terrors and I will see you at Christmas !

Lots of love, Riannon xxxxxx

WC: 619 | Errand Progress : Letters 4/4

Hi Leonard,

This is Ileen, also a first year Slytherin - the other silent and watching kid in the Slytherin area. I know we never talked to each other before - and this is a huge step out of my comfort zone - but lately, you are stealing my favorite spots in the Common Room to do things I also like to do.
And no I wonder if my impression is right and we have a lot in common? Normally, I wouldn’t care and absolutely wouldn’t write a letter to a stranger. But today is not normal. And since I’m not a brave Gryffindor it’s really awkward to do something I’m not used to. And I hope, you’ll appreciate that, because I most likely will never do that again.
And I hate to admit it, but now I’m curious about what you could be like.

Looking forward hearing/reading from you.
Ileen

P.S.: Don’t get used to read or hear about me feelings and thoughts. Normally, that’s something you have to figure out by yourself.

Word Count: 640 | Letter 3/?
Mentions: @Leonard Oaksworth @Dealla Prince

Mentions: @Hjørdis Jensen

Greetings and Salutations Nora!

It's been a while since I had the chance to speak to you and I know you must be missing seeing my face. After all who wouldn't! Maybe Adrian but that's beyond the point here, clearly you love your adoring cousin. Even if you don't you love me now, I'm making an executive decision here. How is Jeger? I bet he isn't so tiny anymore! Or maybe he's an immortal being incapable of ageing? I'm not sure but either way I still love that kitty cat. Hogwarts is so much...weirder than you made it out to be..I'm still not used to all the moving paintings! It's like dad's old TV shows dialled up to 1000...or maybe 1000000? Maybe even 20000000! So far the Ravenclaw door has thwarted me more times that I'm willing to admit but me and Phel have decided to name it Arnold! Arnold is an evil trickster but I'm slowly getting better at seeing past his tricks. Well at least for now! Until he poses another super tricky riddle again and I have to be bailed out by someone else. I'm still not used to even having a wand either..all this talk of wand cores still confuses me a little..I actually forgot wands had different cores! I'm not sure how you keep up with all this, maybe you're a lot smarter than I am. Regardless of my questionable intellect and things I don't know I am certain of two things. Firstly that I need to talk to you and pet Jeger again very soon and secondly that I love you. However in spite of my love the hell that is transfiguration awaits me....so I bid you farewell!

Much Love,

Callie J.

Word Count: 596
Errand Progress 5/5

Could stuffed animals even read? This was the question that was weighing down Mildred- she knew that Chicken could read, well she had no proof and it was more of a gut instinct than anything. She chose to believe that Chicken could read, however, he just didn't want her to know. it was like how she knew that Chicken would explore and become alive at night- once again, she had no proof but she relied on her stuffed animal instincts.

She only hoped that Freddie and Gerald could read, if anything she could read the letter to Gerald, however, Freddie was a lost cause. She supposed she could borrow Freddie for a few seconds if she needed to, the young Hufflepuff girl was set on stealing Freddie if she needed to, just so she could read the letter to it.

She set the letter to Gerald right next to her previous letter to dry. Reaching out, she grabbed another piece of paper and was ready to write. If she was going to write to Gerald, it was only reasonable she'd write to Freddie.

Dear Freddie,
DO NOT LET JAKE SEE THIS!!! (although please tell him hello from me)
Hello! I don’t know if you remember me but I met you in the Hufflepuff common rooms sometime last month! It was a pleasure to meet you, I hope you’re doing well and staying safe from the dreaded washing machines!

Oh- I just remembered that electricity is not allowed… I wonder how jake is cleaning you? I hope you’re clean and warm, I wonder if there’s a spell for cleaning stuffed animals… there should be! Maybe we could invent one or something I don’t know, We could be famous though!! And our names will be known forever. Hope to see you soon!!

She smiled while looking at it, remembering the memories she made when she met Jake and Freddie at the Hufflepuff common rooms. This time she would not freak out about sending it since stuffed animal friendships were no joke and were something she didn't need to think about, of course, her and Freddie were friends. She once again grabbed the pen and signed it off.

Reducio

Errand progress: 3/5

After she had finally gotten started, the words just seemed to flow out of her. It was not a replacement for talking to her parents directly, of course, but she was sure that the sentiment was coming across. A bright smile on her face, Dee folded the letter for her father into something vaguely heart-shaped although somewhat lopsided, and then continued onto writing her mother's letter.

Dear mum,

So since I wrote a letter for dad, I thought I'd have to write one for you, too... Just kidding, I was planning to do that from the start. It's funny, I realized that I have a much easier time writing to you separately instead of together. Mum, I really love Potions! I understand why you liked it so much, it's so fascinating. Preparing the ingredients, and stirring them together just right, and I swear, only half of it is really following the recipe, a lot of it is just feeling. You get that, right? Sometimes it just feels like it needs a tad more of that last ingredient, or an extra half-stir, you know? That's what I love the most.
Herbology is a lot of fun, too! I love learning about all of the plants, whether I need them for potions or not! My friend Blake and I discovered a weird fungus in Hogwarts, I think the caretaker should maybe clean more thoroughly, although that would make things more boring maybe.I'll tell you all about that when I'm home in the summer!
Please tell dad not to worry too much about me, I told him that too, but I know he still does. I'm fine, here, I'm happy. I'll see you soon!

I love you,
Dealla

Her mother was pretty much the only person in the world who called her Dealla, and also the only person where she didn't mind - sort of. Every time Dee had tried to convince her to call her by her nickname, Alexandra had deflected so deftly that Dee hadn't even really noticed, and at some point she had just given up. She did like how her name sounded in her mother's voice. It was something that no one else managed.

Thoughtfully, Dee tapped her chin with the end of her glitter pen. Should she write one more letter?

Word Count: 383 | Letter 4/5

Mentions @Cassandra Ironwoods, @Lizzie Verdine, and @Hjørdis Jensen

One last one, just for good measure, Mars figured. And so they wouldn't have to return this last piece of parchment to the supply table. Something about it just didn't seem right. But who to write it to, that was the question. Mars didn't really know anyone else well enough to write them a letter. Maybe Cassie or Lizzie, but then, they saw those two practically every day. There was no sense in writing a letter when they could just go up to the people and say whatever they wanted to say.

Absentmindley, they scratch the tip of the quill over the parchment. A bit of residue ink leaked out onto paper. Mars swore. They ripped a strip of parchment off the bottom of the large piece to try and blot it away. Sometimes, muggle technology kind of surpassed wizard tech. What they wouldn't give for some white-out or maybe even a pencil.

They sighed. Well, that hadn't been particularly successful. There was now a large blob of faint ink in the middle of the paper. Great. What a waste. Mars sat back, glaring at it. Now what? They shift the page from side to side, turning it around a couple of times. Huh. If they turned the page upside down, the blotch looked kind of like a heart.

Mars looked up at the red ink sitting on the table above them. Hmm. The Ravenclaw dipped their quill into the ink, letting the excess fluid drip off the tip before setting it against the blotch. The line that came out was a mixture between black and red—quite pretty, honestly. They traced part of the blotch, letting some parts speak for themselves. Mars had never been any good at drawing, but hearts were child's play, even for someone who could barely make a straight line.

Well, now there was a small heart in the center of the parchment. Wonderful. It was still a big distraction. Suddenly, Mars fought the urge to facepalm. Swearing at themselves for being dumb, they flipped the parchment over.

There, a clean slate. That still didn't solve the problem of who to write this letter too. Mars ran a finger over the spines of the feather, staring at the heart. It reminded them of—something. What was it? They wrinkled a brow, trying to remember. Uh.... wait. Right! It was May. May was Mental Health Awareness Month in the muggle world. Mars had remembered because their school had actually been fairly progressive about it, advocating for good mental health strategies, even at the elementary level.

Well, that was nice. They hadn't thought much of muggle holidays up until now. They'd been too occupied with school work and tasks like this one. The blank piece of parchment still lay in front of them, swirling together with the thoughts of Mental Health Awareness, home, and muggle holidays. Hmm. Mars stopped running the feather against their finger. Professor Jensen never said it had to be addressed to someone, right?

Dipping the quill, they began to write.

To whoever may read this,

Greetings! I hope this found you in good health. I didn't have much of an objective when starting this, just thought I'd say hello. I'm Mars, Mars T'ien, but that's beside the point. I suppose I just wanted to say that I hope you're doing okay. I know school can be stressful (it certainly is for me) and certain events happening in the muggle world right now are also difficult to deal with. I don't know if you needed to hear this, but you should know, it's always okay to take a break. There's nothing wrong with slowing down and enjoying life where you are at the moment. You are not the sum or the measure of your successes, your abilities, or your accomplishments. The world will still turn if you need a moment.

Beyond that, I know Hogwarts is an extremely competitive school. Hell, I'm a competitive person and sometimes it goes beyond me. I suppose I write this for myself too when I say that it's okay to fail sometimes. It's okay to not be perfect. As cliché as it is, learning happens through failure (as long as there isn't too much disaster along the way). It's okay to not be okay. It's okay to feel certain things and let yourself feel them. Don't beat yourself up for the way you react to something. It's not something you can control. On the flip side, it's also alright to be alright. You don't need to make yourself worse in any manner to please someone. You don't have to suffer to be alive. God, I'm not making much sense, am I?

All I'm really trying to say is that you are good enough. Hell, you've made it this far and—presumably—haven't blown anything up. And you haven't died! That's an accomplishment in itself, no? I feel like everything is trying to kill you in the wizarding world (and the muggle one for that matter). I, as a random stranger, wish you the greatest luck in life. Whatever it is that you're pursuing, I promise, if you put your heart into it, there's no reason you won't be able to succeed. It is worth the attention you're giving it. Take care of yourself. Eat healthy (though who am I to say anything about that, I never eat breakfast), get good exercise, shower (for the love of God, if you're not going to do personal hygiene for yourself, at least do it for the rest of us), sleep! Cut out the people and things in your life that make you feel awful. Do everything it takes to make yourself the best you can be.

And if you don't think you can do that on your own, never hesitate to ask for help. You have my owl information, so if you want a stranger to talk to, I'm all ears. But there are also so many people around you that I'm sure would give their world for you. Remember that. Help is never further than a spell away. Anyway, that was long and nearing philosophical so I'll end it here. Just remember that you're amazing. That's all I'm asking for.

Magically yours, Mars

Mars stared down at the letter, blushing a little. They hadn't meant to get so preachy, but they also meant everything they had written. Pushing away any feeling of doubt, they folded up the letter just like the ones from before. But instead of sliding it into their back pocket, they left it neatly folded in the middle of the table.

Gathering their supplies, they returned all the inkpots and the quill to the supplies table. Then, they headed out the door. After all, they had to get up to the Owlery and mail these all out.

As they walked out the library doors, the folded letter remained, sitting softly on the surface of the desk. Light from one of the library windows cast itself over the table, reflecting off the glassy varnish coating it. The only spot that was unlit was the letter itself. Instead, a swirly red and black heart surrounding a messy inkblot smiled up at the ceiling. It seemed to thrum with a little heartbeat. Magic maybe. Or maybe just the anticipation of someone coming along to read it. A letter left by a Love Note Leaver.

WC:1240
Errand Progress: 5/5 Complete!