Dear You, Love Me [Solo] [Journal] - Owlery

14 May 2018, 15:48

Prologue - Early May 2018, Hospital Wing

It had been a couple of days since she had regained consciousness. Serena stared up at the blank ceiling of the Hospital Wing. She had been gazing at it blankly for perhaps the past two or three hours now... In all honesty, she was not keep track of the time. The hours just flew by as she stared at it, dozing in and out of sleep. Every time she woke, she would stare at it.

Her thoughts haunted her. She kept thinking about things over and over again. She was slowly recovering in the hospital wing following the events of the Hufflepuff Camp Out. The day that everything faded away. The darkness had sunk into her heart, body and soul. It had robbed her of her hope and happiness. Sighing softly, she sat up. The hospital wing was quiet. Visiting hours were long over by now, it was the early hours of the morning still.

Reaching over, she opened the ink pot laying on the bedside table. Picking up her quill, she dripped it into it and picked up the pad of parchment that had been resting there. If there was one thing she learnt from her mother, it was that you should always write letters to people.

Serena paused for a moment, wondering who to write to. She had a long list of people to write to. The question was, which one should she start with? There were so many feelings and thoughts surging through her, all complicated and some conflicted. She had no idea where to start.

By the open window near her, an owl sat there. The Hospital staff had allowed for owls to be there, for those who wanted to write letters whilst in bed. Serena was told she had to stay there for a few days, after all. All of her post was sent from and directly to the hospital wing right now. It made sense, there was no way she could walk up to the Owlery right now. Luckily, the barn owl by the window would be able to fly there easily and return every so often.

Gazing over to the owl that was perched by the window, she noticed it was resting. At least that meant she had time. She wanted to write some letters before the sun rose and everyone else woke up. They would receive them in the Great Hall tomorrow morning during breakfast.

Without further ado, Serena put her head down and started writing.

Reducio

[Owls coming soon...] This is set in the Hospital Wing because she's having to rest there for a few days. Spoke to Sergei about where the thread should be and he said it made sense to keep it here.

Serena Towers

Apprentice Metal Charmer, III

6 569 1 857

15 May 2018, 13:47

Serena's first letter had to go to a man who she owed her life to. It only made sense. She was not entirely aware of what happened but rumour had it that Professor Solomon Lear was the one who had found her after she had been attacked. Without him around, she probably would have remained in a pool of her own blood until she had lost far too much of it that it was too late to save her. His quick thinking and the risk he placed on himself to save her were the reasons she was alive today. Yes, Serena owed him a lot. She owed him her life, in fact. There were a few people that she had to thank but perhaps he was the most important one to start with.

Professor Lear,

Words cannot and will not ever be enough to say thank you. I heard about what you did and nothing I say will ever do your actions justice. But thank you. Thank you for saving my life. You risked yours for me, even though I did not deserve it you did not have to.

If, perhaps, there is anything I can do to return the favour, please let me know. I cannot think of anything worthy enough for this action of yours. I will be forever grateful to you, however. If I can be of service, let me know. I truly apologise for not being able to protect the house. As Prefect of Hufflepuff, I have failed. I know this and accept any punishment you seem suitable.

Thank you for everything.

Best wishes,

Serena J. Towers

She honestly had no idea how she would ever return the favour. It was just not possible unless she saved his life in return one day. However the chances of that happening was pretty much slim to none. Serena could not even save her own, how would she save a professor's? That was never going to happen. Perhaps there was another way she could assist him. To make his life a little easier...

The girl sighed as she reread her letter one more time. The Hufflepuff Camp Out had gone horribly wrong. It had not gone to plan. It was her duty as Prefect of the house to ensure it went successfully. She had failed. More so than that, she had failed to protect the other members of the house. As Prefect, her role was to ensure the happiness and success of her housemates. Serena had definitely failed to do those things on both accounts - and she hated herself for it. Perhaps she did not deserve this title. If she could not honour it and live up to the standards that were expected of her then she most certainly did not deserve it.

Serena Towers

Apprentice Metal Charmer, III

6 569 1 857

31 May 2018, 22:29

It felt a little odd writing a letter to someone she did not know. But nonetheless, Serena wrote down her gratitude to this complete stranger. She recognised the name a little, just from seeing it around on lists in the Hufflepuff Girls' Dorms or as a student in her house. However, she had yet to put an actual face to the name. Perhaps if she knew the girl, she would recognise her instantly but for now, the name Marissa North was not one she could picture. It was a name, however, that she associated with kindness and gratitude. From the bits and pieces she had heard, Marissa was one of the people that helped Serena get to the hospital in time.

Dear Marissa,

We do not know each other. But I heard that that did not stop you from helping me in my time of need. Thank you for being amazing. Without hesitation, you tried to save me. Because you did, I am here today writing this to you. Perhaps I would not be if you weren't there.

You bravely helped a stranger - and this stranger will be forever grateful for it. I would love to meet someone as selfless and kind as you and get to know you better. In the meantime, if there is anything I can do for you, please let me know.

Best wishes,

Serena J. Towers

Serena sighed softly. She would have loved to be able to put a face to the name of one of her saviours. She recognised the others instantly, knowing them well but Marissa was a name she did not know well. If nothing else, she would love to meet the girl just to be able to say thank you to her face. Though, she owed her a lot more. Serena had no idea what she could do to make it up to her, however.

The Hufflepuff rolled up the letter, attaching it to the nearby owl. Second letter of the evening done. One more to go before she could sleep.

Serena Towers

Apprentice Metal Charmer, III

6 569 1 857

31 May 2018, 23:51

Serena took another piece of parchment and stared down at it. This one was the hardest one to write. It was easier to thank her professor or a stranger. It was harder to thank someone that you needed to apologise to. She owed him an apology and instead had to write a thank you. She stared down at the paper on her lap. Her eyes started to well up. This was definitely the hardest letter she had to write this evening.

Staring down at the page, she noticed her tear drops falling onto her lap. Luckily, they missed the paper beneath her. Sighing softly, she continued to look at it. The blank page taunted her. She must have stared at it for over ten minutes, trying to figure out where to start and what to say.

Dear Reid,

I honestly don't even know where to begin with this. I am truly sorry and incredibly grateful for everything. There really aren't enough words to convey my gratitude and my apology properly. Nothing will do it justice but let me try.

Thank you for being incredibly brave, strong and kind. I owe you my life. Your friendship means the world to me. Without it, I would most certainly be lost.

I still cannot believe you risked your life to save mine. I am truly sorry for putting you in that danger. And I apologise for failing to help you. Being a burden to you was not my intention. I am truly sorry - and forever grateful to you.

With lots of love,

Serena J. Towers

With a heavy heart, she started writing. Every two seconds, she would stop and pause for a moment. It took her a lot longer to write this letter, just trying to figure out what to say next. She spent at least an hour crying and writing. It hurt her that she could not save him.

That was all she wanted. She had ran towards the forest to try and save him. She had failed. Miserably. There was no amount of words or letters that would remove the darkness in her heart. The darkness had won. There was a guilt and a self hatred that could not go. She hated that she could not save him. That she was a burden to those she wanted to help. Not only had she failed to save them, she had almost ended up causing their deaths too.

Serena stared at the third letter she had written this evening. All three of these people could have died because of her. Professor Lear had put himself in danger for her. She had seen the marks on his armour firsthand. Reid almost died trying to escape with her. There was nothing she could say or do to make up for her failure.

But she was incredibly relieved that he was alive. That all of them had survived. She would now spend all of her time trying to think of a way to make it up to them. Perhaps one day she will be able to make it up to them. For now, she just hoped that Reid would forgive her for failing. If he did, perhaps one day she could forgive herself.

Sighing, she folded up the last letter and dropped it into an envelope. She added his name onto it in black ink, sealing it shut. Then she handed the last letter to the owl. The same owl that now had three letters. Gazing at the owl perched next to her, she gently stroked her finger on its head. “Thank you for doing this,” She said softly to the owl. With that, she dropped the quill she had been holding onto the bedside table. Moving the parchment pad to the side too, she lay back down and rolled onto her side. She watched the owl fly out of the window. The letters would be received by the recipients tomorrow morning after breakfast - when hundreds of owls soared through the Great Hall and delivered letters for everyone.

Serena wiped her wet face with the back of her hand. The tears had flooded her face and soaked her clothing a little. Crying into her pillow, the girl’s eyes eventually closed and she fell asleep before she even realised.

Serena Towers

Apprentice Metal Charmer, III

6 569 1 857

1 Jun 2018, 00:57

The Evening of the Flower Crown Making Event - Early May 2018, Hospital Wing

Serena returned to the hospital wing. She had been dragged to one of the Blossomfest events earlier by Delilah, despite the protests. It had been a few days she was hospitalised, she was mostly recovered by now. There was a persistent cough that would appear. It would make her hurt her chest from the intensity after a while. That was what happened today. She had a lovely time at the festival today but after a while, her cough reappeared. She had returned after that.

Sitting in the hospital wing, she had been told to stay for a few days whilst she fully recovered. Serena was allowed to go out, go to class but she usually spent her free time and the nights sleeping here. This way the healers could look after her and make sure she was being treated throughout the night. Occasionally, she would have to take potions or apply ointments as instructions by them.

Earlier today, she had been resting in the hospital when Delilah came along. The Flower Crown Making event was on today. Serena had no interest in attending but she went for her friend. Surprisingly, it was actually quite fun. There were some interesting moments that made her laugh a little. Witnessing Professors flirting with each other was definitely kind of amusing. She also got to see what Siege looked like with a flower crown on his head, which was something she had not anticipated ever seeing. He had actually helped her return to the hospital wing earlier.

Opening the nearby drawer of her bedside table, Serena took out a piece of parchment, the ink bottle and a quill. She pulled out a textbook too, leaning the parchment onto it. Unscrewing the bottle, she picked up the ink and dipped the quill into it. There was time for a short letter to her friend.

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Dear Delilah,

Thank you for taking me to the flower making crown thing. It was pretty good fun, actually. So thanks.

Kind regards,
Serena J. Towers

Taking the short letter, she rolled it up into a scroll and added a small yellow ribbon to it. She tied it into a bow before attaching the scroll to the foot of nearby hospital owl. Petting the owl, Serena returned to the bed. She rubbed her chest a little, it still hurt her a little.

The Prefect lay down on the bed again, staring up at the ceiling. It was getting late. She had no idea what time it was but the event had long ended. Delilah was probably asleep by now. She would get the owl tomorrow morning. A soft smile appeared on her face as she stared at the blank white ceiling above her. She was grateful to the Ravenclaw who had forced her to go out. It was the first time she had left the hospital in a while for something other than class - it was much needed.

Serena Towers

Apprentice Metal Charmer, III

6 569 1 857

1 Jun 2018, 23:14

A few days after dress shopping in Hogsmeade - Mid-May 2018, Owlery

Serena walked up to the Owlery, popping in quickly to send a couple of quick owls before she had to get back to studying. She was literally dropping by before rushing back down to the library. This was her break, as it were. Pushing open the door, she headed to the table in the room and quickly pulled out some parchment and writing materials. Within minutes she was seated, drafting out a couple of letters. She wrote the same letter out twice. Both of the letters were to two of her Gryffindor friends.

A few days ago, she had been dragged out to Hogsmeade by the two friends. It was to go dress shopping for the upcoming Blossomfest Ball. Unfortunately, they had been caught by one of the Professors and ended up getting a detention. Serena sighed, she hated the fact that her friends were in trouble because of her. They were only trying to cheer her up by inviting her with them to Hogsmeade. Of course, going to Hogsmeade was banned until third year so the three of them ended up in trouble. Whoops. In truth, she should have known better. She was a Prefect, after all. But she was an explorer, after all. She liked finding the secret tunnels around the castle and seeing where they went. Well she did until the campout. Now she hated leaving the castle. But Eris and Rhea had convinced her. She had gone with them, just to make them happy. That and because she was not sure they would take no for an answer.

Either way, she had left the castle with them and her punishment was well deserved. Unfortunately, she was still very apologetic that her friends were also caught with her. That was the only part she had a problem with.

Image posted by the member

Dear Rhea & Eris,

Thank you both for accompanying me to Hogsmeade. It was surprisingly fun. Perhaps just what I needed, so thanks!

I'm so sorry about the detentions. It was my fault, I'm responsible. I will try to speak to the professor about it and will attempt to get you both out of it. Sorry!

Best wishes,

Serena J. Towers

P.S. See you both at the ball and thanks for all of the help!

Serena finished writing up the letters with a sigh. She hoped they weren't in too much trouble, she would have hated that. The day was surprisingly better than she expected, however, which was definitely a plus if nothing else seemed to be going well for them.

Folding the letters, Serena dropped them into some envelopes before adding their names onto the envelope and sealing them shut. As soon as the wax dried, Serena picked them up. She loved to use fancy stationery, such as her wax seals. She sealed them shut with a shimmery gold coloured wax, which she adored.

Giving the envelopes to two owls, she instructed who they needed to deliver them to before turning back to the table. She had one more letter to write before she could go...

Serena Towers

Apprentice Metal Charmer, III

6 569 1 857

1 Jun 2018, 23:36

Serena returned to writing. She had to write out one more letter. The Hufflepuff pulled out the letter that she had received earlier today. This was the reason she had sent a letter to Rhea and Eris in the first place. Her bright eyes scanned over the letter again, allowing a sigh escape her lips.

Leonie Scheinberg wrote:Ms. Towers,

You have been caught in Hogsmeade. There are plenty of reasons as to why first years are not allowed off of school grounds, and one of the biggest ones is safety. You have clearly disregarded this rule as one of our staff members saw you while you were in Honeydukes, as well as in Galdrags Wizardwear. For this, you have received two detention sessions.

In order to serve your detention, reply to the detention thread found here. If you do not attend, further consequences will be instilled.

Leonie Scheinberg

Head of Slytherin

Serena stared at the page for a while. She hesitated for a moment, wondering what to say. She really did not want Eris and Rhea to get in trouble because they were trying to help her. Picking up the quill, she dripped it in the ink bottle and started to write. This was her fault. She had broken the rules and got her friends in trouble. All of this was her fault. She was weak. She could not protect herself or her friends in the camp out and all of that led to this...

Yes. She deserved this. She definitely deserved this. Serena wrote the letter, genuinely apologetic for everything. Serena knew first hand that it was not safe to leave the castle - or even stay in the castle it seemed - and yet she allowed her friends to take that risk just to make her happy.

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Professor Scheinberg,

I apologise sincerely for my behaviour. I wholeheartedly agree with you and despite knowing the risks to student safety, I broke the rule. Not only that, I risked the lives of my friends too. I take full and sole responsibility.

I will, of course, attend detention and will serve any punishment you deem necessary. Truly, no punishment is enough. Feel free to lock me indoors forever. It is only fair.

With my sincerest apologies,

Serena J. Towers

By the time she had finished writing, her face was flooded. They fell onto the page, hitting the second half of the page below her. Serena's tears soaked the paper, ruining the ink and causing it to fade and smudge towards the end of the letter. The tears of regret and remorse. The tears of her failure. The tears of her acceptance.

Sniffing, Serena sealed up the letter quickly before wiping her face with the back of her hand. Yes, she would go to the detention. She deserved it. She was not crying because she had gotten caught or received a detention. She was crying because she realised how much she had failed. Serena deserved it. No punishment was suitable for the amount of times she had failed.

Hopefully she could get her friends out of trouble, at the very least. They did not deserve this. Serena sighed, handing the letter to another owl. She watched the three owls fly out towards the Great Hall. It was almost time for food. The recipients would receive their letters before long. Serena looked out of the window for a moment, before heading back out of the Owlery. She had work to do, after all. It was time to return to studying now, sadly. Food could wait until later. First, she had to study.

Serena Towers

Apprentice Metal Charmer, III

6 569 1 857

3 Jun 2018, 23:30

The Evening of Dance Lessons - Mid-May 2018, Hospital Wing

Serena sat back down onto the hospital bed. She pulled off the small heels that she had been wearing and dropped them by the side of the bed. Putting her feet up onto the bed, she bent one and rubbed it a little. They hurt a little. She was not used to wearing heels but she thought she would try to wear a small pair of heels for the ballroom dancing. Her mother had sent them to her. Serena knew that her mother wanted her to wear them to the upcoming ball. She really did not want to go to the ball wearing them for the first time and end up tripping up. So, she opted to take the opportunity to practice them now.

Sighing, Serena fell back onto the bed and stared up at the blank ceiling above her. It had been incredibly tiring. In fact, it had taken a lot out of her. Serena had been released from the hospital a short while ago. She had been fine but... suddenly seemed to come down with something. In reality, she was probably fine. Physically, she was probably okay but psychologically, she was struggling. The stress and undue tension that she was putting herself under was probably making her feel worse. In fact, it was probably because of that that she ended up admitting herself back in the hospital for a couple of days just to have the nurse check on her.

Her persistent cough kept hurting her lungs. It was scary. Hopefully it would be something she would get over soon. The healer did say she could leave in the morning. He just wanted to oversee her for one night, to make sure she was fine after the exercise - as he knew she was going to the dance lesson.

Surprisingly, today actually went better than she expected. She did not trip over someone's foot or fall flat on her face. In fact, it all went rather smoothly. Much of that was due to her dance partner, who had been a great dancer and helped her.

Sitting up, Serena grabbed the parchment and got to work on the next letter. She was used to this by now. With that, she began to write down a quick letter of gratitude.

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Dear Adam,

Thank you for being my dance partner! I didn't think it could be fun but I enjoyed it. I learnt a lot from it - hope you did too!

Kind regards,

Serena J. Towers

P.S. You're a better dancer than you think.

Serena finished up the letter and handed it to the owl sitting in the hospital as she had done previously. With that, she headed to sleep. The ballroom dancing lesson was enough excitement for today. She had ran into quite a few friends and actually smiled, for the first time in a while. The exercise was pretty tiring too, which was quite worrying. She had not done anything too intense and yet, her body already felt quite worn out. She hated to think what would happen if she did something more exhausting.

Her physical health was definitely something she was going to have to address it seemed. She hated to admit it - because she was incredibly lazy and enjoyed her laziness. But it looked like she might have to start exercising on a regular basis, much to her own dismay. Perhaps she could start swimming again. Serena used to do that weekly as a child, through her primary school. It may be a good ideas to try it again... Thinking about this, she had no idea when she fell asleep. At some point, her eyes drifted shut and she fell into a deep slumber.

Serena Towers

Apprentice Metal Charmer, III

6 569 1 857

4 Jun 2018, 22:39

On receiving a letter and a parcel, Serena immediately opened it up with a curious look on her face. A beautiful yellowy gold dress rolled out of the wrapping paper and into her arms. The Hufflepuff blinked a little, confused as to why she was receiving this dress. Her first instinct was that her mother had sent it to her but... it did not seem like her mother's taste. The dress was delicate but also quite simple. Her mother encouraged her to wear outfits that she would deem as 'far too extra'. The Prefect placed the beautiful dress down onto the bed and found the envelope that had been attached to it.

Opening it up, she quickly read though it to try and figure out where it had come from. Her first instinct was definitely wrong, which was something she quickly came to realise...

I wanted to say, that I'm sorry. I'm sorry to most of the people in Hufflepuff actually, I've harmed a lot of people with my magic, and I don't know if I'll ever be able to make amends, but you are one the few people who were as bad off in my stay in the hospital as myself, and I'm partially to blame, I'd heard that you'd been worried about your appearance, so I've sent something that might help you out. Especially with the ball coming up. I know you'll be one of the prettiest people there!

Yours truly

Orion Ewel

Serena stared at the letter in disbelief. She blinked a little. She had heard about what Orion did during the night of the Camp Out. He cast a spell that was so powerful that it ended up doing a bit more damage than he had anticipated. Her eyes dropped to the tips of her long hair, that was definitely several inches shorter now. The tips had been burnt off in the fire that he had created. She had hoped it was not that noticeable but it seemed that everyone knew.

She sighed softly as she read through the letter once more. He really did not need to do this. He did not owe her an apology, at all. If anything, he had saved their lives. All of their lives. Yes, several people got hurt as a result of his actions but their wounds and scars would heal. If he had not taken action, perhaps none of them would be around to even complain about the fire.

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Dear Orion,

You have nothing to apologise for - you did what was right. You protected us, all of us. Without you, things could have been a lot worse. We survived. What else matters after that?

So thank you for being you, Orion Ewel. Without you, we may not be here to send these owls.

You didn't need to do this, however. But it's incredibly kind and sweet of you. Thank you, I'll treasure your gift and I'll certainly wear it for the Ball.

Don't ever change, you are amazing the way you are.

Yours Truly,

Serena J. Towers

A soft smile crossed her lips as she folded the letter and placed it into an envelope. Although she did not think Orion owed her an apology - not at all - she still thought it was sweet of him. She admired the fact that he did it, even though it was not necessary. It showed that he cared. He showed his Hufflepuff like qualities without even realising it. He was a true Huffle, that much was for sure. She had seen his loyalty through the stories of his actions but today, she saw his kindness firsthand.

His kindness lit up the sky, shining brighter than any flame ever could or did. His kindness shone brighter than his incendio did and everyone knew how well that worked. Everyone had heard about that story already... Sealing the envelope, she gave it to the owl to deliver.

Serena look back at the dress and sighed softly. The thought itself was touching. It was truly beautiful and there were not enough words for her to explain how she felt in this moment. He was truly amazing - and she was glad that she had gotten the chance to meet him.

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