In what seemed like a blink, Sylvia was standing in front of the forest's edge.

Her wand was clasped firmly in her palm. She could feel a powerful energy surging through her core. She briefly wondered if that's what her mother used to feel before catching a dark wizard. Sylvia had never felt more nervous and yet never more confident in all of her life. Tonight was the night.

Sylvia wasted no time in breaching the forest line, she knew it wouldn't be long before someone found Lydia's frozen body and then the manhunt would begin.

She had to know. She had to know what was worth almost killing Malvin over, and she wouldn't wait for some poor investigation only to find that Leta had once again managed to slither her way out of it.

It was dark. The air felt heavy as if the forest had held its breath. There wasn't a sound.

Truth be told, Sylvia wasn't exactly sure what to look for – or even where to begin looking. But she didn't have to wait long before it found her.

A fair distance into the forest, Sylvia felt tremours beneath her feet – as if machinery was in operation below the earth's surface. The tree's trembled and the few shrubs that dotted the landscape quivered. Another sound joined the fray. Footsteps – and they were running towards her fast. Her breath grew ragged.

Sylvia pointed her wand in the direction the footsteps were coming, behind a thick growth of a bush between trees and steadied her breath. She mentally prepared a spell.

The figure burst through the bush in a blink, panting madly and sobbing. Whatever spell that was on Sylvia's tongue died. It was Leta alright, but even through Sylvia's anger, her appearance made her pause.

Leta's uniform was torn and bloodied, her hair that was usually so neat and combed was wild and bushy. Tears stained her muddied face. She had lost a shoe.

"Sylvia?" Leta whispered, her entire body trembling.

Sylvia couldn't respond, Leta looked so... afraid. Terrified, even.

"Sylvia, you need to run – now!" Leta barked when Sylvia wouldn't respond.

The tremors grew deeper and closer. Sylvia suddenly realised that whatever was making them wasn't coming from beneath her.

Something growled and spat loudly. The trees shook. It sounded pained but very much angry.

"What was that?" Sylvia gasped as they both retreated backward – Leta noticeably hiding behind Sylvia.

Leta sobbed heavily behind her. "I didn't mean..." She heaved a breath. "It went wrong, Sylvia."

Sylvia glanced behind her, though her wand was still trained on the bush. And whatever was about to come through it.

"What went wrong, Leta?" Leta bawled something unintelligible. "What did you do?!" Sylvia shouted.

"It's all my fault..." Leta quivered as she dropped to her knees.

The thing didn't come through the bush. It stepped over it.

"Merlin's beard..." Sylvia gasped.

It was a Jarvey, or what was meant to be one. Apart from the small fact that it was ten times bigger than a Jarvey was meant to be. It looked mutated, its eyes almost bulging from its sockets and its teeth were overgrown to the point where they didn't sit in its mouth properly. Its fur was patchy and distorted, bits of flesh showing across its body. Whatever spell or potion Leta used to enlarge it, evidently didn't work fully.

The creature eyed Sylvia and Leta, a loud rumbling sound emitting from it as it sniffed the air. Sylvia's arm lowered slowly. Somehow all of the spells she had learned in the past didn't seem adequate. She had prepared for a showdown between her and another witch – not a terribly overgrown ferret with teeth longer than her arm.

Sylvia knew a Jarvey at its usual size was dangerous – a Jarvey the size of a double-decker bus was something else. Dangerous wouldn't cover it.

Leta grasped Sylvia's arm weakly. "Sylvia..." She whispered. "Sylvia..." Sylvia was too stunned to respond.

The Jarvey progressed on them slowly, it seemed more curious than angry now. It wasn't until it grew nearer that Sylvia got a good view of its eyes.

The growing process must have damaged its eyes even worse than the bulging because it looked like an animal with serious cataracts. It must have been partially blind - and it was relying on its sense of smell.

"Be prepared to run." Sylvia mouthed, as she picked Leta up slowly off of the floor. Leta clung to Sylvia's arm desperately.

Sylvia hadn't quite grasped how to do none verbal magic yet, but she thought there was no better time to learn than then. Pointing at a tree some distance to their left, Sylvia cleared her head of every worrying thought and focused. Leta shuddered.

Bombarda maxima.

The tree exploded – and so did two neighbouring trees. This drew the Jarvey's attention without a doubt, it's head snapped to the sound.

Sylvia didn't waste a second and dragging Leta with her, they began to sprint the way Sylvia had originally come.

"I'm so sorry, Sylvia!" Leta shouted as they dashed through the forest, leaping over roots and trying their hardest not to slip. The creature had evidently not been fooled for long. It sounded close behind.

"Save it!" Sylvia shouted back.

Sylvia lead the way, but she wasn't a hundred percent sure exactly which way they were heading. Hearing the beast stomp after them though, she very much decided it didn't matter. Anywhere it couldn't follow was the goal.

"Ah!" Leta squealed.

Sylvia glanced behind her, her heart in her throat, and saw Leta trip over a root and fall to the ground.

"Oh, for Merlin's sake." Sylvia stopped.

The creature was quickly approaching.

Sylvia ran towards the witch and went to pick her up. Leta screamed in pain.

"I think I've twisted my ankle!" Leta groaned as she collapsed again.

"Oh, you insufferable girl!" Sylvia cursed. The beast wasn't far behind them. "Keep quiet." She hushed as she dragged the smaller girl against a tree.

The creature came bounding over in a few seconds, the size of it crossing the distance between them easily. The Jarvey stalled a few metres from their position and sniffed.

Sylvia felt Leta grab her wand. Sylvia turned to her and shook her head vigorously. – whatever spell Leta was thinking of wouldn't work on a beast that size, she knew for sure. Leta ignored her and pointed towards the beast.

A strange, small cloud emitted from her wand, drifting towards the Jarvey's nose. The beast sniffed once, then again. Whatever the smell was, was evidently pleasing. The small, green cloud floated for a little while before Leta waved her wand. The cloud drifted behind the Jarvey, and the Jarvey followed it.

Sylvia couldn't help but admire the genius of it.

The Jarvey followed the spell until it was almost out of sight. Leta lowered her wand with a sigh.

"That was... smart." Sylvia complimented. "Can you walk?"

"Slowly, perhaps." Clinging to Sylvia's shoulder, they stood up. "I'm sorry for everything..." Leta said so quietly she might as well not have said it at all.

"For poisoning Malvin?" Sylvia hissed. She had definitely not forgotten the reason she had come to the forest in the first place.

"I... didn't mean to hospitalize him. He was getting too close and-"

"You thought poisoning him was the appropriate course of action?"

Leta sighed. "I have my reasons, Sylvia. Let us get out of here and I'll tell you everything."

Sylvia thought she should stun Leta and leave her to the Jarvey, but as angry as she was – she couldn't see herself doing it. When they were out of immediate danger, then Sylvia would deal with Leta appropriately.

"Fine. Put your arm around my shoulder." Leta did so without question and sighed with relief when the pressure was taken off of her foot.

"Thank you," Leta mumbled. Sylvia glanced at her. "You didn't have to help me... you could have left me – Merlin knows I probably deserve it. But you didn't."

"I certainly thought about it," Sylvia said as they ambled through the trees. "But I imagined Newt wouldn't be too pleased about it."

"Newt!" Leta gasped.

"What?"

"I told him to meet me here tonight – he doesn't know I enlarged the Jarvey without him!" Leta stopped walking, forcing Sylvia to too.

"Newt was okay with this?" Sylvia said incredulously. She couldn't envision Newt doing this, the Jarvey – as scary as it was – looked in a terrible amount of pain. Surely Newt wouldn't be okay with that, Sylvia thought.

"Not exactly..." Leta mumbled as she looked away from Sylvia's gaze. Sylvia had a distinct feeling Leta was missing a crucial detail out of her story. "But we need to make sure he doesn't run into this."

"First, we make our own way out," Sylvia said. "We can't help Newt inside the Jarvey's stomach."

They walked for a few minutes in silence. Leta jolted at every small crunch or crack – and hissed in pain afterward. Sylvia began to grow tired of it quite quickly. The extra weight on her side was tiring Sylvia out and the idea of leaving Leta behind played in her mind again.

The Jarvey roared. It sounded a little ways off.

"Has it found us?!" Leta gasped.

"No, it sounded further away." Sylvia listened closely. "Did the spell wear off?"

"It shouldn't have," Leta replied. "Unless it smelt something stronger."

They looked at each other and came to the same conclusion. Newt.

Leta quickly detached herself from Sylvia and began to run.

"Oh, so you can run now?!" Sylvia barked.

"Newt's in danger – come on!"

Sylvia didn't need telling twice. She sprinted and caught up with Leta in a flash.

Following the sounds of roaring and grumbling, they navigated the density of the forest and came upon another small clearing.

"New-" Sylvia quickly slapped a hand around the other witches mouth. Leta struggled until Sylvia hissed in her ear. "He's calming the beast, you idiot. Shut up!"

The two witches watched the scene carefully. Newt was crouched low and making strange keening noises. The Jarvey tilted its head curiously and was making even stranger noises in return. It was a strange spectacle to watch, but calm as Newt was appearing, Sylvia could see the trembling in his hands.

Newt glanced towards Sylvia and Leta, and looked put off at seeing the two together. He stopped the strange noises.

The pause in chattering was enough for the Jarvey to regain its composure, and figure out that whatever was in front of it certainly wasn't another Jarvey. It growled and raised a claw.

"No!" Sylvia screamed before she could stop herself.

The Jarvey instantly whipped its head in Sylvia's direction. She felt her heart plummet to her feet.

The beast started on her faster than Sylvia could withdraw her wand. Before Sylvia could so much as blink – Sylvia felt her body crash against bark. She fell to the floor with a loud thud.

"Sylvia!" Newt shouted.

And like that, every plan anyone one of the three could have come up with went to pot. Leta tried stunning the Jarvey – but it was far too big for one spell to knock it unconscious. She made a gesture to Newt, and he ran over to Sylvia as Leta distracted the creature.

Sylvia's head swam after the impact. Momentarily paralysed, she could just about make out the shape of Newt's worried face in front of her. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she registered that she couldn't feel her legs.

"Sylvia?" He called as he held her face. "Sylvia?"

She felt a burning feeling in her side and looked down. Her blouse was sodden with blood. The Jarvey's claw must have pierced her skin as it punted her.

"Oh, dear," Sylvia mumbled, as Newt followed her eyesight.

His eyes widened and his breath hitched. Reaching out, he gingerly pressed his hands to Sylvia's side in a poor attempt at stemming the flow.

"Now can we tell a teacher?" Sylvia drawled, feeling her face pale.

Newt laughed nervously as he tried applying different amounts of pressure to her wound. "Certainly. Definitely. Just... stay awake, please. If anything ever happened to you-"

Leta shouted in the background. Sylvia couldn't quite make out what it was, but it sounded like a warning.

As proficient of a witch that Leta was, even she couldn't distract the Jarvey much longer. But she didn't need to – because the Jarvey had smelt something much more appetising.

It turned it's body towards Sylvia once again and sniffed the air.

"It can smell your blood," Newt said quickly as he desperately thought of a plan.

"Could... three of us... would we... be able to stun it?" Sylvia said slowly, her thoughts becoming much harder to process as blood drained out of her body.

"I don't know," Newt mumbled. The Jarvey progressed slowly, it's nose in the air. "At it's smallest size – definitely. But it might be too big and you're not exactly in a good enough condition to-"

Sylvia fumbled for her wand next to her. Her fingers weren't following her commands properly. She grasped it as tightly as she could. The Jarvey was getting closer.

"Newt... the idea of being eaten doesn't sit well with me," Sylvia said seriously. "Just try it."

Newt looked at Sylvia worriedly but reached for his wand all the same.

Leta looked at the two oddly for a moment, until she saw them withdraw their wands and face the Jarvey. She cottoned on quickly.

"On three -" Leta shouted. The Jarvey paid her no attention.

Newt helped Sylvia up. She could stand, but could barely feel the ground beneath her. Sylvia inhaled deeply and willed her body to stop swaying. It didn't.

"One -" Leta started her countdown. "Two -"

Newt and Sylvia pointed their wands. The Jarvey was within swiping distance. Newt held Sylvia's free hand tightly.

"Three!"

"Stupify." The three shouted in unison.

The forest lit up in a bright shade of blue for an instant. The beast collapsed.

So did Sylvia.


She felt weightless.

Every feeling, every thought and every breath seemed so... far away. Her body felt numb – apart from a small pressure around her arm and legs.

"Is she dead?"

It sounded like Leta's voice, but if she called out on top of a mountain. The words echoed in Sylvia's mind. She vaguely felt the wind on her cheek.

"She needs attention – now!"

Funny, Sylvia thought, that sounds like Newt. Apart from she had never heard him sound so... authoritative. Commanding, even. He seemed very worried about something.

She wondered what all the panic was about.


"Is that a student?!" She heard another voice call. It sounded older.

Sylvia definitely felt more of a breeze now, but the voices were beginning to sound further away.

"Scamander! Lestrange! Explain yourselves!"

There was a lot of shouting now – from several voices. She recognized Leta and Newts, Dippet and Dumbledores and her Defence Against the Dark Arts professor.

"Phineas, she needs the hospital wing immediately." That was Dumbledore's. Sylvia wondered why he never sounded panicked. She felt a prodding sensation on her wound.

"A what?! In the forest!" Screaming. It hurt Sylvia's head. She wished they would all shut up and let her sleep.

Sylvia felt a different pressure on her body now. It was stronger, firmer. Am I being carried? Sylvia thought.

More air began to whip around her cheeks. She was floating quicker now.

"It's all my fault, Headmaster." Newt?

Sylvia wanted to know what exactly was Newt's fault, but the voices edged further and further away until there was silence.


Sylvia felt grounded now. Something soft beneath her.

"Will she live?"

He sounded grave.

"I'm not sure."

That's not really a comforting answer. Were they talking about me?

"She's lost a lot of blood. She might need to be transferred."

I hope not. I'm quite comfortable where I am, thank you.

"The Jarvey has been captured and we're working on a deflating draught now. The Minister is on his way."

The Jarvey?

Memories began to flash inside Sylvia's mind, but they were patchy and incomplete. It was like trying to listen to a gramophone that kept skipping. Sylvia tried focusing.

"Have they found out who did it?" Was that the nurse?

"I think that's currently a matter for much debate. Newton swears it's him, but I could never picture the lad doing anything like that." That was definitely her Care of Magical Creatures professor.

"Do you think he's covering for the Lestrange girl?" Nurse again.

"Most likely. Though Phineas would prefer this wrapped up as quickly as possible." Dumbledore. Always so calm. "Even if an innocent boy is expelled."

Expelled.

Sylvia's mind screamed. Little parts of her memories were starting to piece together. A Jarvey. Leta. Newt. Flying.

She wanted to sit up and shout, tell everyone it wasn't him. Scream at Dippet and tell Dumbledore the truth. She felt trapped in her own body.

She didn't want Newt expelled.


(19th February, 6th Year)

The next few days were spent dipping in and out of consciousness. Sylvia awoke a few times to various faces peering over her bed, predominantly the nurse and a few times she recognised her mother and father. Her body still felt fairly numb, but she stayed awake a little longer each time she regained her senses, until one day she woke fully. She wasn't aware of how much time had passed.

"Oh, hello you." Malvin smiled.

Sylvia squinted her eyes against the brightness of the hospital room. "What?"

Malvin looked considerably older, paler and shockingly thinner than she had ever known him. Just how long was she out for, she thought.

"I know, I know, you can tell me how rugged and handsome I look – I don't mind." He swept some imaginary hair over his shoulder. Sylvia was too confused to laugh.

"How long?" She croaked.

"Have you been out for?" Malvin's eyes darted around the room quickly. "A little while."

"How long is a little while, Malvin," Sylvia said gravely. She had to tell Dumbledore everything she knew.

Malvin cleared her throat. "About a week. A little more."

Sylvia went to sweep the blankets off of her, but Malvin yelped and quickly stopped her.

"Merlin's breath, Sylvia, you've been unconscious for a week and you expect to go running about the castle?" He gently pushed her down but Sylvia groaned.

"At least let me sit up then." Malvin did so, and with a little grunting, they manage to prop Sylvia in the upright position. "I need to speak to Dumbledore as soon as possible. Or Dippet – anyone."

Malvin acted as if he didn't hear her. "The nurse didn't expect you to be up for a few more hours yet, she just popped out. Dippet didn't expect you to get up at all." Malvin said as he popped some grapes into his mouth. Sylvia looked at the small collection of gifts on her bedside table.

Sylvia sighed at the small talk. "Come on you insatiable gossip," She took a deep breath. "What happened?"

Malvin stopped chewing. "You're sure you want-"

"Yes, I'm bloody well sure. Is Newt okay?" Sylvia said hurriedly.

"In... a sense, yes," Malvin said slowly. He wasn't the type to pick his words carefully. Sylvia narrowed her eyes.

"What do you mean, 'in a sense'? Is he okay or not? Did they stop the Jarvey?"

"So it was true!" Malvin squealed. "The professors just said you, Leta and Newt got hurt fooling around in the Forbidden Forest. I knew it!"

"They tried to cover it up?"

"Oh yeah," Another grape disappeared into the mushy depths. "Makes sense, though, doesn't it? Don't want parents thinking that such dangerous creatures can get into Hogwarts easily – wouldn't make old Dippet look too good. There's been a huge cover up. The Minister was here and everything."

Sylvia nodded, hoping her friend would hurry up and get to the part where Newt was involved. She found she wasn't really bothered what happened to Leta. Malvin continued on in vague detail, since he was on death's door for most of it too, saying how the students were kept to their dormitories for a day. They never found out who poisoned him, though they didn't think the two incidents were connected. Both Malvin and Sylvia knew differently.

"From what I heard, they took away the Jarvey and the whole area was swept. Anything involving it – poof." Sylvia's supply of grapes was slowly diminishing. "Then began the questioning."

"Are they going to question me?" Sylvia asked.

"Well, probably not."

"Why?"

"Because..." Malvin sighed and looked out the window. "It's all done now. Case... closed – so to speak."

Sylvia's breath stopped in her throat. "Did they expel Leta?"

"Leta?" Malvin coughed into his fist. "No... she's still here."

Oh, no, Sylvia thought. She felt her heart tear in two. Her emotion must have been clear on her face because Malvin held her hand.

"I'm so sorry, Sylvia." He whispered. "He took credit for everything. Said he thought he could look after Jarvey, and you and Leta just got caught in the middle."

Sylvia swallowed a sob and looked away from Malvin.

"Dumbledore tried to defend him... but there's little you can say when someone openly confesses to something..." Malvin squeezed Sylvia's hand gently. "He was expelled the day after. It was because of Dumbledore's word that he didn't end up with a more severe punishment. Dippet was livid."

Sylvia felt frozen. "How like him." She mumbled quietly.

"I'm sure Dumbledore will want to speak to you at some point, though, he wasn't exactly happy with you either."

She understood. Had she just told Dumbledore the truth, then perhaps everything could have been avoided. Newt would still be there and Leta would be the one to be expelled. There was also the small matter of freezing another student, breaking the curfew and trespassing into the Forbidden Forest. Sylvia was partly surprised she wasn't expelled too.

She let out a shaky breath. "Had I just told him... Dumbledore... I'm an idiot. I thought I could handle it on my own."

"I've got to admit, it sounded very... rogue." Malvin chuckled. Sylvia wasn't paying attention, she was far, far too deep in her own well of self-pity and hatred.

The sound of the tall, hospital doors opening drew the two's attention away from sad matters. It wasn't who Sylvia would expect in the slightest.

Leta stood awkwardly in the entrance, her hands stiffly by her sides. She didn't look any better than Malvin, either. It was like someone had squished her, she seemed smaller somehow. Less sure.

"You've got a bloody nerve coming here, miss!" Malvin stood up immediately, shaking his fist like an angry old man.

"Leave it, Malvin," Sylvia said quietly.

"What?" Malvin said, eyeing Sylvia as if they had never met. "Are you having a laugh? She's the reason all of this happened! The reason you nearly died, the reason I nearly died, the reason Newt-"

"I know!" Sylvia barked. Malvin clamped his mouth shut. "Just... leave us a second, Malvin."

Malvin shook his head. "Fine. But don't blame me if she tries to finish the job while I'm gone!"

Malvin walked past Leta and shot her a dirty look, and to Sylvia's surprise – she actually flinched.

Silence descended for a moment as the two merely stared at one another.

"Come here for a reason? Or just to gloat." Sylvia said harshly.

"No, no." Leta squeaked. Her voice didn't even sound the same. Sylvia cursed herself for feeling pity.

Leta quietly walked over, her heels barely making a sound against the stone floor. "May I?" She pointed to the chair Malvin was previously sitting in. Sylvia nodded.

Leta sat down slowly, her hands clasped tightly in front of her. She looked the picture of anxiety. "I... don't know where to begin."

Sylvia eyed her. "I find the start is the best place."

"I take it you know everything," Leta whispered, not looking Sylvia in the eye.

"Imagine I don't." There was a bitter taste in Sylvia's mouth. "Start there."

"This... wasn't the first time Newt took the blame for me, you know?" Sylvia didn't have to stretch her imagination far to envision that. "He always covered for me when I messed up."

"Often, was it?" Sylvia snapped. She was surprised at herself for how calm she felt.

"You're not making this very easy."

Sylvia went to shout, but Leta squeezed in an apology first.

"I know, I've made a terrible mistake, but Newt-"

"Did you confess? Hm?"

Leta looked at Sylvia wide-eyed.

"Did you?" Sylvia continued. "You can't sit there and whine about how unfair this situation is when you have," Sylvia stopped. "Had, the power to change it, Leta. You must forgive me if I don't feel sorry for you."

Silence descended on them again as Leta played with her fingers.

"I know." She whispered. "I think... Dumbledore knew it was me. He gave me a chance to rectify everything but I... froze. I imagined my mother's face if I got caught and..." Leta absent-mindedly rubbed a small scar on her neck. A pale stripe of white against ebony skin. Somehow, Sylvia gathered what Leta was trying to say. There was a lot she didn't know about her, but that small scar told a whole different story.

"I..." Leta trailed off as she let her hands fall into her lap again. "Oh my, you must hate me." Leta's eyes filled with unspilt tears.

"Not entirely." Sylvia said before she could stop herself.

She knew Leta deserved every insult and mocking Sylvia could think of, but looking at the small girl in front her... Sylvia knew she had already given herself worse. Even though it was mostly Leta's fault, Leta did lose the most.

"Simply put, if you did die, the chances of me attending your funeral are quite slim."

For some odd reason, Leta chuckled. "I don't think you'd be the only one."

Sylvia felt like screaming at her, somewhere deep inside. She was the reason everything had happened the way it did but... Sylvia couldn't bring herself to do it. Even years later, Sylvia was never sure if the whole 'I feel so sorry for myself and my actions' act from Leta was a facade or something genuine.

"Why did you do it?" Sylvia asked after a moment's silence. "The Jarvey."

Leta sighed. "I was conducting an experiment." She fiddled with her fingers again. "Tensions are rising in our world and I thought... Jarveys are dangerous anyway – but I thought if we modified them and grew them, then they could be weaponized." Sylvia's eyes widened in shock. She had expected something sinister, but trying to weaponize a creature seemed out there even for Leta.

"It wasn't strictly my idea..." She rubbed the scar again. Sylvia glanced at it as another silence fell.

The class bell rung loudly, echoing against the walls. Leta went to stand.

"Wait," Sylvia said. Leta stopped standing and sat back down. There was one last thing Sylvia wanted. Needed.

"Is there-"

Sylvia left fist connected with Leta's mouth quicker than anything she could have conjured.

Leta shouted as she fell off the chair with the impact, clutching her mouth and groaning. Sylvia howled with pain also, as she had to reach over to make the jab, and her side didn't appreciate it.

It was a long time coming.

Leta got to her feet slowly. Her top lip looked like it was already swelling. Tears spilled onto her cheek as she glanced at Sylvia.

"I can forgive, Leta." Sylvia calmed her shaky breath. "But I won't ever forget." She felt little satisfaction.

"I-I should... go," Leta mumbled, as she tried to control her sobs. A pang of guilt settled in Sylvia's stomach. She ignored it.

Before Leta reached the door, her hand still covering her lip, she turned around slowly. "He visited you, you know. Before he left." A pause as Leta wiped a tear from her cheek. "I think out of everything he lost... he was most saddened by losing you." She quickly left without another word.

Surprisingly, out of everything Leta could have said at that moment, that hurt the most.

Sylvia let her own tears spill freely.


(2nd May, 6th Year)

Sylvia,

I don't know when you'll get this, or even if you'll get this at all – but I've got to make this quick. A carriage is coming to pick me up in a moment.

I never hated you, Sylvia. Malvin told me if you're wondering how I knew. We had a good chat, he's awfully talkative. I may have judged a little too quickly, though, I will admit. I'm sorry for my part in all of this. I'm sorry you got hurt.

I missed you 'You' was poorly scribbled out. our talks. Pickett missed you as well.

There's so much I want to say, but I don't have enough time.

Don't worry about me. Dumbledore arranged a position for me at the Ministry, and then I think I might travel for a while. Mom encouraged it.

She also named one of Polly's young after you, I don't know if I ever told you that.

I hope one day we can meet again when all of this has cleared up.

Newt.

P.S Look after Leta for me, she's not who you think she is.

Signed once again, Sylvia noticed. She smiled to herself, alone, in the Gryffindor dormitory.

It had been a couple of weeks since the incident, and Sylvia had made a full recovery. The excitement had slowly quietened down, and she was back to being a regular student. No-one had told her Newt had left a note, she wasn't sure anyone really knew, it was only when she looked inside of her old jewellery box one day that she noticed it scrunched up inside.

In her heart, she wished she could have said goodbye to him, but her life wasn't a fairytale and she understood it could sometimes be unfair. She still looked up at the old, abandoned tower sometimes and wondered how Pickett was doing, or came across a picture of a Hippogriff and thought of Polly. Sylvia never realised how much Newt had affected her life until he was completely out of it.

She saw Leta in the corridors occasionally. Leta kept her distance, and Sylvia kept herself civil. They would never be friends. It was the one thing Sylvia couldn't do for Newt.

Leta did seem more alone than ever, though. Everyone had their suspicions about her and the Jarvey, and not even the Slytherin's paid her much attention. Sylvia's heart ached for her sometimes, but she couldn't help but think that she had brought this on herself.

"You coming, Sylvia?" Malvin shouted up from the common room. It still surprised her how deep his voice had gotten. The years had flown by so quickly.

"In a moment!" Sylvia shouted back. They were going to Hogsmeade, Sylvia had almost forgotten.

She rolled the piece of parchment back up carefully and tucked it back in her jewellery box. Standing up, she walked over to the window and looked out. It was a beautiful day, she observed. Newt's Hippogriff's would love it. Sylvia placed a hand against the warm window.

"Stay safe, Newt."