Dear Stranger... PV Rafa Closed

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Interacting With: N/A
Mentioning: @Ileen Knight [Sort of?]
Hex Color: #800000

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It was a letter.

Or, perhaps a better term to describe the message sitting stoically upon the deserted courtyard bench would be a mere piece of parchment, neatly folded in half with what Rafael could only assume to be a careful hand, the vibrant white corners slightly crumpled from wear and the fresh white material glistened almost blindingly in the sunlight. A strange, yet welcome vision to find within the tumultuous courtyard, a dangerous place to lose one’s belongings… if not a confusing, curiosity-provoking sight, the very image causing the first year’s brow to furrow as the cogs within his brain began to turn. The Captain in question had been looking for a place to study before his Quidditch Session, a location to steel his impulsive nerves and finish his History of Magic Reading…. however, the universe had decidedly other plans for his hour, his hands already reaching out to take the parchment, fingertips flipping it seam-side up with the flick of his wrist. Now look what we’ve found here, he mused quietly to himself, flipping the note open and scanning its contents. An unsigned message it was, and lengthy in detail, yet succinct enough in nature to follow. A message that would take him only moments to read yet a few minutes to fully interpret.

Insecurity was within everyone – the emotion seemed to be at the root of the dark tendrils encumbering the school of Hogwarts, a poison piercing almost every single student that partook in the institution’s classes and activities, to the point where the suspicious had grown even more so, the innocent slowly losing grasp of that which defined them… a Devil’s Snare the mystery was, and a terrible one at that, for the more one looked into the shadows, the more entangled and helpless to its dangers one became. Of course, this had never put off Rafael. Danger was at his very nature… anxious would maybe do his countenance more justice. Even so, reading the thoughts of fearful peer, not only wary of the strange activities happening within the walls, but their own classmates… it was then that the child would make an impulsive decision. There really wasn’t much of an alternative answer, after all, but to respond to the message, in the hopes that he could bring some solace to a troubled mind.

Setting down his book, he closed up the message with a special care, setting himself down on the bench in its stead. Then, ripping out the back page his History of Magic book, he fished a pen out of his pocket, cracking his knuckles and breaking ground on his own message –

Long ago are the days when the only dangers one feared were of another’s opinions, missed paydays, being late to the bus. Alas, it seems as if trouble has indeed descended upon us – a real shame, as Hogwarts has maintained quite the reputation for being the greatest wizarding school available. Between the giants and the mosps, and… well, God, what hasn’t happened? The murder of a horrendous woman, rumors of the wand responsible in the clutches of a student. All too curious, don’t you think? And one can’t help but wonder, what’s at the source of such mysterious darkness? Is it the hags, the evidence of which has been strewn about the school? The mysterious witnesses? Perhaps the supposed murderer of Umbridge, the elusive school nurse? Or, is it something else, something much darker than any blood war or evil creatures …

It’s true, students seem to gravitate towards violence and negative feelings nowadays. Such is normal, I suppose, given the circumstances of the school’s settings and events lately – I suppose even I’m guilty of this, as well. However, it might be important to note that anger and violence is only artificial, a mask to hide what for most is fear and discomfort. Everyone comes from different backgrounds and has had different experiences, which I suppose can be quite confusing when the likes of which are mixed in amongst our peers – there should be no reason to be intimidated, however. Anyone worth your time will surely listen to what it is you have to say, or at least respect your presence for what it is. From the context of this letter, it doesn’t seem like you’re a bad person. Coming from an anonymous author, I can imagine this might be controversial, but I like to think I have experience in identifying the soul behind a quill.

One must be careful, when feeling dull – what might be at the source of such feelings? For what it’s worth, I do hope you’re okay. Even though I don’t quite have a name to attach to the writer of such a well-written letter. It’s understandable, to miss one’s parents, especially after being in such a distressing setting on a normal basis. Safety is fleeting, but in the midst of this turmoil, one can always find solace in the company of a good friend. Or, perhaps between the paragraphs of a good book, or in the Pitch, practicing a sport you may or may not enjoy. Anyways, it was a lovely surprise, stumbling upon your letter. Best wishes to you!

Sincerely,

[font=segoe print]The Lion Prince[/font]

Taking a look over the draft and deciding it had been written to his satisfaction, the boy nodded with a proud smile, folding the parchment once, twice, three times. He would leave his transcript, as well as the original letter, on the very bench he’d been sitting at, scribbling quickly across the front his own note a short ‘Dear Stranger’. Then, looking upon the heavens and deeming his letter safe from the sky’s monstrosities, he would take one last glance at the parchment, some semblance of reluctance pulling at his consciousness. Hopefully he or she responsible would find his message in search of their own, the result of an afterthought, or the subtle reminder of a rememberall. Those had been on the supply list, right? It didn’t matter that much, he supposed. Feeling content with his actions, he decided to relocate himself to the fountain, as to not be found in the action of a secret letter exchange. Would the recipient locate his message? He hoped so. He would certainly return the next morning, in the least, in search of a new letter.

Ileen stared at the paper in her hand and blinked in confusion. She had been standing here for a while now, just looking at the letter with the unfamiliar handwriting. Students who were passing her by must already be thinking that she was weird. Well, she was not. What was weird was the fact that this wasn’t her forgotten diary page…
She had returned to get it. It had taken her a few hours to realize that she had forgotten it so she had expected it to be still here or gone, but not that it had been replaced by a letter answering to her intimate thoughts. She blushed and her grip strengthened. These words had not been meant for anyone else, but only for herself, and the thought that someone had seen them made her feel uncomfortable, even if the person could not know that it was she who had written them down. Unless she would stand here stupidly and stare at the letter for a longer time.
After finding a less conspicuous place outside, she looked left and right before inspecting the sheet more closely. One edge was a little frayed. It looked like someone had torn it out of a schoolbook so maybe a student had written it? Ileen shrugged and began to read.

Her dark brown eyes glided across the lines and with every sentence she became more excited. Whoever that was, he or she knew a lot. Ileen wondered for a second if this letter was some sort of evidence, but then she decided against it. She had heard of all the stuff that was mentioned in there. For her, it had been rumors probably peppered with numerous exaggerations, but what was written here was probably not unknown to the professors. Nevertheless, the writer seemed to be very much involved with the events at Hogwarts.
Maybe this was a good start for her to pay more attention to these things as well. If she wanted to live up to the claim to have a good influence on the other students as she had promised Professor Vernatis she should learn about the ongoing and past events.
It also felt good to be called good by a stranger just from her thoughts and words, even though she wasn’t sure if that was an honest impression or more of a motivation. Looking at the signature, a frown wrinkled her forehead. Did that name mean that the writer was a Gryffindor? Or was it a feint? Well, she actually didn’t want to know, because the unknown gave the whole thing that certain something.

After she had finished reading, she dug in her bag and pulled out parchment and quill. She had already known while reading that she would answer. So she smoothed the parchment and started writing. She stored the letter of the stranger safely in her robe to hide it in her dorm later.

Dear Stranger, or would you prefer Lion Prince?

I have to say, first, I was slightly irritated that someone had found my diary page, but after I’ve read your reply, I am not anymore. Thank you for your kind words and the encouragement. You gave me a lot to think about. It’s good to know that someone kind and friendly is out there - even though I have no idea if you are a fellow student of mine… but I assume so, since you said that you are also ‘guilty of violence’. I guess, we are all sometimes doing things that we might regret (hopefully) and that we would change if we could. I think I could also be nicer sometimes, but I am careful to not get crossed. Do you think this is selfish? Is it weird that I am asking you that stuff even though I have no idea who you are? Well, maybe that’s the reason why it’s easier. Also, you already got a glimpse of my most intimate thoughts, so you already know more about me then almost everyone else around here.
Speaking of knowing a lot - you seem to be quiet in the loop when it comes to dark and evil events at Hogwarts. I hope you were not harmed? It sounds like you are also a good person, but also like you are putting yourself in danger a lot. Please take care, whoever you are. There are already too many wounds that can’t be healed.
However, I am not intimidated by our peers but annoyed by their stupid behavior. It’s not like I am shy or antisocial, I just made some bad experiences with them. They are very quick with a judgement when it comes to your name or your blood status. Shouldn't we be above that? Especially with all the horrible things you've listed? We should stick together and not act like idiot infants, beating each other's heads in.
Thank you for your concern though. I am fine, I guess. A little frustrated because of the things I’ve mentioned above but telling someone all of this actually helps. I also have few but very good friends and I guess it could be worse. I am just… kind of lost since I can’t return home to my parents and I guess, I hoped that Hogwarts would be more of a calming place.
How about you? What provides you from being numb to all of this? I like our conversation and I am really looking forward to a reply. Take care, okay?

~ I.

After making sure that no one was around she would put the letter at the exact same place she had stored her first one and also found the reply. Then she turned around to go back inside. A soft smile appeared on her lips and she somehow felt good. It was nice to have some sort of pen pal and the fact that she had no clue who it was made it even more exciting.