Regarding Emma

by NatteryakToad

"And there is no doubt that I would kick your elongated posterior in a duel..." When Neville Longbottom sits down to write letters to this years batch of incoming first years, he never would've imagined he would start something which would change his perception of a man he's always despised. That, and start a competition for the most possible post-scripts per letter...

1. Chapter 1

Neville Longbottom, Herbology Professor, Head of Gryffindor House and Deputy Headmaster at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, sat down in his office and pulled a roll of parchment towards him, scanning down the list of forty or so names written there. These were next year's first year students, and one of his duties in his role of Deputy Headmaster was to write to each of them, informing them that they had a place at Hogwarts. He also had to identify those students who had muggle parents, or lived with muggle relatives, and therefore weren't aware of the Wizarding world, so that they could get appropriate support from the Office of Muggle Born Integration at the Ministry of Magic.

He began to read down the list, noting down the names of the muggle-born students, and then looking more closely to discern if there were any non-muggle-born students who would still require help from the Office of Muggle Born Integration; those who lived with muggle, rather than Wizarding relations. The fact that it was becoming more usual for wizards and muggles to inter-marry, combined with rising divorce rates, meant that there were usually one or two students in each year who lived with their muggle parent, and had never met their Wizarding one.

Neville's eyes rested on a name towards the end of the list: Emma Payne. Her parents were listed as Tallulah Carey Payne, and Draco Malfoy. Neville had known Draco Malfoy in school, but hadn't had any dealings with him since then; Malfoy's only son was in Slytherin. So he had a daughter who – Neville checked the address – yes, who lived with her muggle mother. Neville guessed he better write to Malfoy, so see whether he wanted to deliver Emma's Hogwarts letter himself. After all, Draco Malfoy was not the sort of person whose toes you wanted to step on...