Disclaimer: I don't own anything you recognise. This is for fun only, please don't sue.
Chapter 11: Flower Viewing
Dear Aunt Anastasia,
We are really looking forward to your visit next year in March and April. Thank you so much for consenting to escort YiaYia on a visit to us. The boys will be home on break from university during this time so they will be able to see her as well. Do you think Severus will come out during his school spring holidays? Please let us know as I think Hiroto would love to continue the intellectual discussions with him. Severus, when he relaxes, can be a completely different person than what I remember of him from my childhood.
Hiroto has finally recovered from our visit to Europe last year. I feel that he felt overwhelmed by the Kalymnian family events. We will also have some other guests at the same time from muggle London. They do not know about magic or that I am a witch. We visited them in France during the summer of the European trip.
After so many years away from my muggle friends I am finding that I need to rebuild the links that I had. How are the troubles at the World Cup going to affect us this time round? Is He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named returning to create chaos again in Britain and Europe? Why has the Ministry failed to address this threat to our society?
Thank you again for helping to bring YiaYia to Japan. It will do her good to visit another country and help her understand my life here in the East. Hiroto has some elderly relatives who are also looking forward to meeting such an esteemed Elder of our family.
When you come, can you please bring some bottles of Commandaria and boxes of the different flavoured loukoumi? If you have some room for some Halva, I would be most grateful.
Hope all is well and safe,
Melina and Hiroto
oOoOo
Dear Mother,
Unfortunately, while I might officially have a spring term break, the reality does not match. This very short break of two weeks is normally a period where I am marking and completing the preparation for the final term, which includes the last run of examination practice for the OWL and NEWT students. I will make sure that I will come and visit YiaYia and yourself for a long weekend but I will not be able to stay for more than 3 or 4 days.
Once your itinerary is a little more settled, I will contact Melina to organise when it would be suitable for her to have me visit. I must catch up with Hiroto as we have an ongoing Igo competition to continue. I hope this letter keeps you happy and that you are safe and well.
Your son,
Severus
oOoOo
Dear Hélène and Phillip,
Thank you for your lovely letter and the photo of Hermione. She looks lovely in that ball gown. What was the name of the school she goes to? My cousin is a teacher in Scotland so I was hoping he could tell me more about her school. It must be a very exclusive school if they have international exchange visits with other schools.
Congratulations on how well she did in the Six Nations competition. We watched the satellite broadcast. Hiroto said she had really come on and it showed what dedicated training could do. Phillip must love that his daughter was in the team that won at home. Hermione is currently getting a lot of press at the moment here in Japan in the Kendo magazines and I have put the cuttings in for you so you can see. Hiroto has done some translations so that you can all understand what they are writing about her.
Hiroto and I would like to invite you both to the Hanami Festival this spring. The blossom are expected to open in the last week of March and then there will be many parties and sites which can be visited in the first two weeks of April. Hélène, please say you will come. Phillip, I believe Hiroto would like to continue your Igo competition. Would Hermione be able to come with you at this time or do her school terms not allow her the opportunity to visit? I would love to continue our discussions as she is an incredibly bright young lady.
If you come and see the blossoms, I am sure you can meet our sons as they will be visiting from university. We have a local Kendo competition so that might swing Hermione's vote of approval for the visit. I am pretty sure that if she wanted to compete Hiroto would sort out her entrance paperwork.
Let us know if you can come as I so want to take you all round the sites and I will need to organise tickets for some viewing locations in advance.
Think about it and let us know as soon as possible.
Your friends,
Melina and Hiroto
oOoOo
Dear Melina and Hiroto,
Thank you for your invitation to attend the Cherry Blossom Festival. Phillip and I will be coming but unfortunately Hermione's school terms do not enable her to travel out and back within the short break she has at this time. Don't worry, she has advised us that she will stay at the school and do some study.
We have some friends who have children in the school as well and they will keep an eye on her while we are away to ensure that she does get some down time. Yes, she has my tendencies to work herself into the ground.
Would it be all right for you if we come out for four weeks? There is a conference the first week that Phillip wants to attend but he can travel each day from yours on the fast train. I am not interested in the conference, so that leaves us more time to catch up and go shopping.
I am looking forward to some serious smoking of my credit card as I have not hit the shops in such a long time. Maman wants me to help her redecorate the gites near the lakeside in the mode Oriental, so I will be looking for key items to help create the theme. Do you want me to bring anything from England for you? Marmalade, Scotch - of course not Johnny Walker but a proper single malt for Hiroto - or even Scotch finger shortbread biscuits? Let me know and I will make sure we will stock up your stash of English treats. If you want any French treats write back this week as Hélène is visiting her parents over the weekend and she will be able to visit the La Marche Hypermarché on her way home to pick up any items that you are looking for.
All the best and we are so excited. Thank you again for inviting us to this event. Phillip is already researching flights to Kyoto – you know how he gets with contingency planning.
Hélène and Phillip
oOoOo
Hiroto Kitaguchi knew something was up when his wife started dancing and bouncing round the room after reading the mail. "Melina Athenaou Kitaguchi what are you up to?" he demanded. "I can hear your brain scheming from here."
"Me? No, nothing, my dear," she guilelessly responded.
Alarm bells rang in Hiroto's head. "Wife, I demand to know what you are up to," he forcefully declared. It was best to know his wife's schemes in advance as she was an invariable mischief-maker who could cause chaos at the drop of a hat. Listening to the stern tone in his voice, Melina laid out her plan to have the Grangers here when their sons were home for the Hanami festival.
"Melina, are you trying to be a matchmaker for our sons?" he asked with concern. "If you are, I would rather you discuss with me why you feel that they need to be married, and if they really are of marriageable age and readiness, I would rather engage the services of a professional Nakōdo like Madam Uchiha Sakura.
"Additionally, I don't know if the Grangers would be open to the Miai process. Remember the choice is from a number of candidates and isn't Hermione a little young as she has not finished her secondary education as of yet?" advised the concerned man.
"Hiroto, I know it is early for Hermione but I think that she could potentially be willing to consider the Miai. It would really depend on Hélène and Phillip becoming open to consider the process, which is why I want to start now so the idea has time to percolate and openly be considered. If you just spring it on the Grangers there will be a definitive no but Hélène, for all her modern ideals and values, is not unused to the concept of arranged marriages or potential match introductions as she had this with her own family. Hélène just found her own match at university."
Hiroto listened to his wife's ideas and thinking about the couple and their daughter, could see why his wife considered the girl as a potential daughter-in-law for their own sons. The boys would not be established enough to have a wife for a couple of years after they completed university but this would allow sufficient time for Hermione to finish her secondary education.
If she considered the Miai she might then undertake her tertiary education in Japan if she had reached an agreement with one of their sons. There was no bias in the family and the boys were both undertaking joint degrees that were recognizable in both the wizarding and muggle worlds. Hermione, with her strong intellect and mature attitude, could possibly consider the Miai and the potential intellect of her children would be considerable. She would also be considerate of the concept of magic if it got the stage where a marriage was occurring. That girl mixed with either of his sons could produce some very strong, academically minded grandchildren.
Melina organised a number of Hanami outings at various Kyoto locations once she had the numbers to book tickets for her party.
oOoOo
Dear Madam Uchiha Sakura
It has been a while since Hiroto and I have had the pleasure of your company. We would like to catch up with you at the earliest opportunity for an English style afternoon tea during the Cherry Blossom Festival. We understand at this time of the year your appointment diary can be very hectic, so can you please advise when it is possible for you.
We have some friends and family visiting during the Spring Festival and we thought we should celebrate our twenty years together in a quintessential English tea party, since you found me in England.
Hiroto would like to make a formal appointment for arrangement with you later in the year, as our boys will need your services like you handled him and his siblings.
I look forward to hearing from you,
Melina Athenaou Kitaguchi
oOoOo
Loukoumi – is also known as Turkish Delight. It comes in a number of flavours that include rose, lemon, orange, pistachio and hazelnut.
