Dear Rose,
I'm sorry it's taken me so long to write to you, but I promise I'll send you this letter, even if it takes me a whole week to get it right. You shouldn't have to wait for me to send you anything; I should just do it. But if you're waiting too long, then you can write and yell at me, or whatever the writing equivalent of yelling is. I won't mind.
What have you been doing?
I guess that was probably a stupid question, but I can't think of anything else to ask right now. I don't really know what I'm doing except for studying and trying to survive, and sometimes both of those feel like they're the only things I can do. At least I can do those well, though. I'm still the best student of my year, and Professor Longbottom's been teaching me some extra things about Herbology. Maybe I'll even be better than you when you get back!
Probably not. But I'm doing Charms on a sixth year level, so at least I'll be better at those.
It feels kind of weird to think that I'm doing something as well as a sixth year can, like I ought to know what I'm going to do, or at least what kinds of classes I want to take after I'm done with O.W.L.s. I'm only fourteen, though, and that's much too young to make those kinds of choices. Even fifteen feels too young to decide what I want to do for the rest of my life. How did our parents manage to do it? My dad says he changed his mind a few times, so I suppose it's all right for me to not know, but my mom always knew that she wanted to study Muggle mathematics, so I feel like she might expect me to know, and I'm nervous about telling her that I don't.
Maybe I won't do anything. Maybe I'll just take some of my family's money and live in a library somewhere. You could come visit me whenever you wanted, and we'd just sit around and read books. I think I'd like that.
I'd like Albus and Ruby to visit too, but I'm not sure if they would. We haven't been talking much lately, and I know it's all my fault. I said something to Ruby that made her angry with me, and I know I should apologize, but I just can't manage to. I'm too scared to go talk to her. Then I told Albus that I wanted to be left alone, and he hasn't really talked to me after that. Have you been writing to them? Could you maybe find out what I did wrong? I miss having friends.
I haven't been completely alone, though. I've been spending a lot of time learning extra Herbology, and Professor Zahradnik has been teaching me about Horcruxes. I'm not sure how much I'm allowed to tell you, but you're the only person I can tell right now, so if there's anything I can say, I want to be able to say it.
I'm glad you're doing better. Hogwarts just isn't the same without you, and I think things will get a lot better when you're back. Maybe your cousin will stop hating me then. James, I mean, not Albus. I don't think Albus hates me. (But if he writes in a letter that he does, could you tell me? I don't like not knowing things, especially when it's about whether my friends actually think of me as a friend.)
If you want me to send you my notes from class so you don't fall behind, I can, but you'll wind up getting a lot of packages. The professors are making us work really hard this year, and there's a lot to learn. Do they let you cast spells in St. Mungo's? There's been a lot of practical work in Charms and Transfiguration, and some of the spells have been giving me a little trouble, at least on the first few tries, and apparently they're only going to get harder as the year goes on. I'm almost nervous about what our fifth year will be like.
Best,
Scorpius
Dear Scorpius,
You'd better send me your notes. Albus and Ruby have offered to send me theirs, but I trust you more, and your handwriting's a lot easier to read. I know we're supposed to be rivals, but really, that kind of stuff is for kids, and it's probably a lot better if we're friends. I think of you as a friend, anyway, and if James has a problem with it, then I'll let him know that I have a problem with him. I already sent him a letter, and if your dad had let me get away with it, I would have sent him a Howler, but apparently making one of those would be too tiring. Everyone thinks everything is too tiring for me, and even if they're right sometimes, they should still let me do something. It's so boring here.
Albus and Ruby don't hate you, by the way. They didn't even mention an argument, and Albus seems kind of worried. Maybe you should talk to him or something, because whatever you think happened isn't what he thinks happened. What did happen, anyway? Albus just said that you don't want to spend time with him anymore, and Ruby didn't mention anything except that you're not studying in the library with them.
My parents knew what they were going to be when they were our age, I think. Dad wanted to be an Auror, and Mum wanted to work with the Ministry doing something about house elf rights. But then, maybe they weren't normal teens. Ruby says Muggle teens don't have to know what they're doing until they're in university, so you shouldn't have to worry too much. You probably don't have to worry about much of anything. I'm doing fine, and you'll do well in whatever you want to. If you want to have a library, you'll probably be a great librarian. You'll probably be even better than Pince, though almost anyone could be better.
Actually, you should be a librarian, and I can travel around the world and find rare books for you to keep in your library. Can we do that? Albus can handle finding newer books for you, and Ruby can manage a section of Muggle books. She promised to send me some, and maybe wizards should know a bit about Muggle culture. That's what Mum's always saying, anyway.
I'll make sure your dad doesn't read any of our other letters, so I expect you to tell me everything about Horcruxes. I don't think any of my family will talk about them with me, so you'd better tell me everything I'll have to know. Is there going to be some big adventure planned in our seventh year? It'd be lots of fun to outdo Uncle Harry and my parents, even if they think the world's safer than it was in their time. There's no Voldemort, but a bunch of stuff's been happening in America (you've been reading The Daily Prophet, haven't you?), and maybe it's time some Brits went over and got to be the big heroes.
I'm still getting stronger, and I can stand up on my own now. The only problem is that I get cold really easily, but your dad says that might not be anything to worry about. They don't know much about what's going on with me, since this is the first time anything like this has happened, and apparently your dad's been busy making sure people don't just pull me out of the hospital to study me. I told him I wouldn't mind as long as they told me everything they found out, but he just said that fourteen-year-olds shouldn't be treated like lab rats. I guess he's right, but I still want to know everything I can about what attacked me. That's the trouble with being young: No one tells you anything. Have you noticed that? Well, I guess you know things, if Zahradnik's telling you about Horcruxes, but she might not be telling you everything.
Sorry. I didn't mean to make you suspicious of her. She's really good, apparently, though my parents keep talking about how she's no Dumbledore, which of course she's not. No one's going to be another Dumbledore, and no one will be another Zahradnik after her. That's the whole point of being a person, so that you're the only one who can be that person.
Sorry. I've been getting frustrated lately with a lot of things, and I shouldn't take it out on you. Maybe my next letter will be in a better mood. Write back soon, okay? I'm impatient.
Best,
Rose
Dear Rose,
You really didn't have to tell James off. I think I saw when he got that letter, because he started glaring at me across the Great Hall. I'm glad you're looking out for me, but I think he's just going to be angrier now, and he gets scary when he's angry.
Everything else is going well, though, except that my hand's really tired. I copied out all my notes for you, and if the letter got delivered right, there should be a lot of parchment all tied together for you to read. This will probably be a short letter, since I want to get all of it done at once, and I'm not sure I can fill a whole roll of parchment with my hand aching like this. Albus has gone to Madame Longbottom to get something cold for me to press against it, though, so I'll be okay.
I'm talking to Albus again, though I guess you noticed that from what I just wrote. You were right, and it's just that he was remembering things differently from how they really were. (Though he says I'm remembering things differently. We didn't argue about it, at least.) We're friends again, and he says we never stopped being friends. It's just that I was being an idiot. I'm probably still being an idiot about Ruby, since I still haven't apologized. I'm not sure I should tell you what happened, since she might want to keep part of it a surprise, but you can ask her when you get back.
It's finally getting colder, and it got colder really fast. Everyone thinks the dungeons will be freezing in winter, but they're actually pretty nice. They're cool in summer, but something keeps them warm. Albus says that Ruby told him it was something to do with how water holds onto heat, but either he didn't explain it very well or I just didn't understand. Anyway, I kind of like the cold weather, and Professor Longbottom promised to show me some winter plants once the weather gets cold enough. Apparently there's a whole collection of good winter plants in the forest, and since winters get colder now than when he was our age, they're thriving.
Oh, he's been taking me into the forest. I don't think I mentioned that in my last letter. It's not as scary during the day, but I'm still pretty nervous about going in. Professor Longbottom doesn't seem scared at all, though, and most of the time I'd say I'm not sure if he's being brave or dumb, but… he's Professor Longbottom. He can't be anything but brave, I think.
Anyway, apparently the Sorting Hat's been acting strangely. Professor Zahradnik thinks I should have been a Ravenclaw and maybe you should have been, too. Instead we're in Slytherin and Gryffindor, though I think you're more a Gryffindor than a Ravenclaw. I still don't know what I'm supposed to be.
I would like to have a library, though. Maybe that does make me a Ravenclaw.
Professor Zahradnik's been doing a lot of research on enchanted clothing, and she has me reading through a lot of old books. I've had to practically learn Old English, and it's a lot harder than you'd think. So far I can only pick out a few words here and there, but maybe in a few months I'll be able to tell you something interesting from what I've been reading. I'm not sure how interested you'd be, since so far it's just a bunch of lists, but maybe there's something about the lists when I put them all together. I don't want to apologize to Ruby just to ask her to help me with this, but I think she'd be really helpful.
If it doesn't weigh down the owl too much, maybe I'll send you something from Hogsmeade the next time I'm out there. Albus says he knows what kinds of sweets you like, and I want to send you something nice.
Best,
Scorpius
Dear Scorpius,
I think if you tried to send me any sweets you'd weigh the owl down too much. Have Albus send them instead; I'll still know they're from you.
I know you're worried, but James isn't really as scary as he seems sometimes. I told him that if he ever hurt you I'd make sure he knew how much I hated him after that, and I really don't think he wants me to hate him. If he does, then I don't know him nearly as well as I think I do. He's written me some letters, and he didn't mention you at all, so maybe he's not as mad as you think. Or maybe he just doesn't have time to hate you. He's got N.E.W.T.s this year, and even though he wants to be a Quidditch player, he still has to get pretty good scores on them or I'll never let him hear the end of it. He already knows I'll beat him on those – even though our parents keep telling us they're not a competition, they definitely are, and it's the best way to get James to do well – but I told him that if he isn't careful, Albus might do better, and he doesn't want his little brother to do better than him at anything.
Mum and Dad were actually talking about the Sorting Hat a few weeks ago. Apparently people sometimes get sorted strangely. Hugo should have been a Ravenclaw with Lily, and they thought Longbottom might have been almost a Hufflepuff. Still, if you think you've got a good reason for thinking the Sorting Hat's a Horcrux, then I'll help you however I can. I might even be able to translate those old books for you. (Okay, maybe not, but if you send me what you have, then I'll at least be able to help.)
I'm still bored, though that probably isn't much of a surprise. There isn't much I can do aside from try to let my body heal, but that's not enough to make my mind do anything. I've been studying as much as I can, and even that wasn't enough, so I decided to learn knitting. It's actually kind of fun, and your dad says it'll help with my dexterity even more than writing will, so I've been knitting a lot of things. I'm not very good yet, but I might be able to make scarves or something for Christmas presents. My mum says the Muggle scientists think it'll be really cold this year, so if you want a scarf, I can make one for you. Right now, I can only make tea cozies, and those are kind of lumpy right now.
And of course I was right. I'm always right. Haven't you figured that out by now?
Sorry that this letter is so scattered. I've had to write it in bits and pieces, and your dad is the only person who thinks I'm up for writing long letters in addition to everything else I've been doing, so I have to hide this a lot. Your dad's a pretty cool guy, and I think we're getting along really well, which might be weird. I mean, my family and his hated each other, but now things are mending pretty well between everyone. Ten years ago, no one would have ever expected to see a Malfoy hanging out with a Potter and a Granger-Weasley, much less with a Muggle-born.
You should definitely apologize to Ruby. I want the whole group back together before I get back, and if you're not, then I'll have to find a way to force all of you to get along. You're all my friends, and I don't want to have to deal with two separate groups. I don't know how Albus and Ruby managed it back when we were being rivals. I know I wouldn't be able to, and I don't want you to wind up on your own. You're too good for that.
I'm really jealous that you get to go into the forest before me. (Ruby would probably say that I should use envious, but I really am jealous, because I'm supposed to be the one having all sorts of adventures. I'm the Gryffindor in our group, after all.) You'd better include those plants in your notes too, and if you're already doing that, then you'd better do a better job of letting me know which plants are the ones in the forest. I don't want to have to figure that out on my own when I go into the forest, and I refuse to let you get ahead of me in Herbology unless I can get ahead of you in Charms, but I don't think that's going to happen.
Thank you for the notes, by the way. I guess I should have said that earlier, but I was too busy trying to find a place to keep them that's out of the way. I've got a room to myself, and it's really nice, but it's not very big, and I don't have much room for things.
Best,
Rose