Dear Professor Dumbledore,
I can't believe I didn't think of this before. I don't suppose I can blame it on being overwhelmed? What with classes, and then the whole mess with the Heir and then Ginny Weasley… Well, it was quite horrible. I don't even want to think about it. Hopefully this year will be a little calmer, though I don't count on it. But in the midst of the mess that was last year, I never realised I could write to you. And just send it in, just like that.
Of course, I do have a real reason for writing to you. This is a thank-you letter. I wanted to thank you for bringing Professor Lupin in. I was scared to death that we'd have another Lockhart. At least he knows his subject! Do you know what he gave us as a first lesson? He told us that since he didn't want us to think the class was boring, he had a special exercise to start off with. Then he asked a muggle-born boy (it was Joe Hoare from Hufflepuff) to name the first mythological creature that came to his mind, and he said 'centaur'. So we spent ten minutes just talking about real centaurs and muggle views of centaurs.
Is this what Muggle Studies is going to be like? Because if that's so, then I think you might just want to write my name down for it already. It was a great lesson, and much needed—especially after all the problems of last year. I do hope the DADA curse won't affect Professor Lupin. He's really smart. It'd be a pity to lose him after a year.
I don't suppose I should be telling you this, but Isabelle from Gryffindor seems to like him. In that way. I wonder what Professor Lupin would think of that.
But I'm avoiding the real issue here. The elephant in the room, isn't that what you call it? I'm sure you know what it is, Professor. You're a genius. I wonder why you weren't in Ravenclaw sometimes. But anyway.
The castle is different now. It's always colder, and I feel afraid to open the windows. The smell creeps in from outside, dirty and musty, like an old house that someone was killed in. I do not exaggerate. I hate them. I suppose I should be hating Sirius Black, because it's because of him that they're here in the first place.
How long will it be until he's caught? Is he going to kill anyone else? I heard he hates muggles—my Mum's a muggle. And I heard Malfoy saying something about Harry Potter.
Could he really be trying to kill the Boy-who-Lived?
I wish you could answer all my questions, Professor.
Yours sincerely (or should it be faithfully?),
Gwen Lingham.
2nd Year, Ravenclaw.
PS: I hope you don't mind the letter too much. And all the questions.
A/N: So, basically the first drabble or letter format story I've ever posted. Let's see how it goes :) ConCrit much appreciated!