At lunch, Larna found a pleasant surprise anticipating her arrival in the Ravenclaw girls' dorm. Perched on the windowsill when she went to retrieve her books for the afternoon's lessons was the barn owl she had used this morning, and attached to the leg was what appeared to be a rather filled envelope. Immediately a smile lit the Ravenclaw's face, and she dropped her bag as she hurried to the ledge. The bird nipped her hand gently as she removed the package from his leg, before reaching inside a nearby draw to feed him - or her - some treats. Smiling, Larna turned her back to the window and strolled across the room to her bed, stroking the envelope reverently. She of course recognised the handwriting as Fred's, and after perching atop the covers, hastened to open the packet.

Flowing from it came lots and lots of images; some photos, some paintings, some moving, some still, but all contained the same two people: Larna and Fred. The sixteen-year-old gasped in awe at the audacity of such a gesture, and immediately began to rifle through the pictures. She smiled softly at the one of them lying on the grass in a field near to the burrow. She grinned as she looked at one which reminded her of the trick she and the twins had played on Ginny. The pictures were of everywhere; the garden, the lounge, the bedroom, the field, the shops - in fact, it seemed she and Fred had gone nowhere without taking a picture.

Pausing her perusal of the pictures, Larna cast them aside and picked up a piece of parchment which she hadn't previously noticed. Her letter from Fred.

'Larn,

(Mind if I call you that? I think it suits you)'

At this, Larna smiled. 'You can call me what you like,' she thought with a subtle grin forming on her face.

'Larn,

I was so pleased to hear about your success with the Young Apprenticeship. At the moment I'm struggling to cope without you around, and work is very boring, so I apologise in advance for the tasks you will be doing at the Ministry. I could really do with a hug, but since that's not currently possible, could you send me a warmth charm with your reply? It'll be as close as I can get to the real thing until I see you again.

I also have some things to tell you. First of all, the Minister has told us about the scheme - his exact words were 'an aid to Hogwarts study, curtesy of the Ministry of Magic.' He doesn't seem too happy about the way in which Dumbledore is handling things; he did, however, mention the date the apprentices will be joining us. If all goes to plan, I'll see you at the start of December!

As you know, I work in the Misuse of Muggle Artefacts office, with Dad; that's where you'll be doing your apprenticeship. Well someone's going on maternity leave in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, and Dad's been promoted! That means we'll have the whole office to ourselves when you're here. I really can't wait.

That's all for now; please write if you have anything else to tell me.

Love you always,

Freddie x'

Larna smiled at the 'x' of affection, and gathered up the photos which were scattered across her duvet. Reaching under the bed, she retrieved the box of sentiments which she kept well hidden, and, inhaling its scent, gently removed the lid, in so doing revealing its contents. The Ravenclaw had perused and examined the items many times, and as her lessons recommenced soon, saw no need to do so again. Instead, she placed the letter on top of her others to one side of the container, and slowly began to store the photos, of which there were around thirty, while closely looking at each one. Finally, with only a few left to put away, Larna found one which was perfect for her idea. Quickly putting the rest in and replacing the box in its place, she gently stroked the corners of the remaining image. She placed it on the bed and stood up, fishing around in her robes for her wand. The sixteen-year-old went over the incantation in her head, before, with a bold flourish of the magical instrument, she proclaimed 'Aurum Spiculo!' At the utterance of the charm, from Larna's wand shot beautiful ribbons of the finest gold, reflecting the natural light which streamed in through the window. The strands of gold danced towards the image on top of the bed covers, and met along the four sides, intertwining and performing complex choreography, creating a sophisticated design of artistic patterns and images. The Ravenclaw grinned as she watched the ribbons weave in and out, forming hearts, bows and flowers, as well as complicated combinations of loops and twists. After a few minutes, the new-formed frame stilled and glowed a pale blue, before becoming inanimate once more. Larna slipped her wand into an inside pocket and reached for the image, taking a moment to admire its beauty.

She had picked this particular photo because it was a close up, taken from a high angle. It was also a muggle style-photo; the people captured in it (she and Fred) did not move. Both were smiling, but not looking directly at the camera. Rather, the couple, with Fred on the left, his arm around Larna, and she on the right, draped over her boyfriend's shoulder, were gazing into the distance, with identical contented expressions gracing their faces. Larna loved this image; it reminded her of how complete and happy she felt whenever she was with Fred.

The sixth-year made her way over to the front left-hand post of her bed, where she had already conjured a hanging nail. She carefully placed her photo onto it, and stood back to admire her handiwork.

'Perfect,' she murmured.