A/N: Have I told you that I like letter fics? Because I goddamn do ;)
Love: Thanks to my little brother (who's otherwise an annoying git) for giving me an idea for a particular point of this story. Also for my amazing teammate, Ellen (agentmoppet).
Beta love: Thanks to my amazing teammates, Ellen (agentmoppet), Xanda (LittleMissXanda) and Frida (Kefalion) for helping me straighten this story out; you guys are awesome :)
Word count: 1630 (provided by MS Word)
QLFC Round 5: Hogwarts Box – (scenario) A character comes to Hogwarts at fourteen instead of eleven.
Bonus prompts:
4. (style) letter fic
11. (word) atmosphere
14. (colour) cherry
The Mysterious Challenge: Round 3 - Write a Ravenclaw AU for a non-Ravenclaw character featuring the word mysterious.
From Jealousy to Kinship
Dear Heather,
My first day back at Hogwarts was good, though a bit unusual. At the Opening Feast, it was announced that instead of Quidditch, there would be a tournament of some kind, held at the school throughout the year. I can't quite remember what was said about it because I tuned out after it was revealed that you wouldn't be eligible to enter under the age of seventeen. Such a shame, if you ask me. Not that I would've been interested, per se, but I know for a fact that Fay was. Lauren and I had to listen to her huffing and puffing about not being able to try out for the Quidditch team. It's these times when I feel a strange kind of empathy towards Hermione.
In other news, Dumbledore also introduced two new students at the Feast. As if the commotion wasn't enough already. The Headmaster told us that the set of twins, named… Parvati and Padma, I think, would be joining us, fourth years. Then, it was revealed that they were to be Ravenclaws. Both of them. I was itching to tag along with them after the Feast to discover the reason for their… transfer? Late arrival? Something like that. However, I couldn't because right after dinner had ended, Lauren dragged me away to discuss how handsome Dean Thomas has become over the summer. I agree with her, by the way; he really has.
I'll try to find out more about these mysterious twins soon. Until then, tell Mum I'm doing fine and that she shouldn't worry about my diet; I promise I'm keeping to it.
See you later, Sis,
Lavender
~oOo~
Dear Heather,
Thanks for the bottle of Sleekeazy you've sent—my hair's been a bloody mess without it. I'll try to see what I can send you back when I next go to Hogsmeade; until then, I hope this letter will do.
Anyway, I have told you about the set of twins who were sorted in September, right? I've tried to talk with them once or twice when we had Divination together, but the conversations seemed… somewhat empty. It felt as if something was missing, which is a shame, really. Lauren has told me not to worry about it and that it's not a big deal if I don't make friends with Ravenclaws anyway, but something is bugging me about them. Of course, I can't tell that to Lauren—I'm not keen on being seen as a weirdo. Still, something is telling me I should try to get closer to the twins. Maybe it's the atmosphere around them? I have no idea. Do you suppose it's connected to the dream I told you about before I went to Hogwarts? You know, the one with the endless knots in them? Maybe I should tell Professor Trelawney about it.
Otherwise, guess what? I received an O for my first Charms assignment. Isn't that amazing news?
Tell Mum I miss her. Talk to you later,
Lavender
~oOo~
Dear Heather,
Turns out I hate those Ravenclaw twins. They always finish each other's sentences, and whenever I see them, they're giggling about something I assume is an inside joke. Last week, for example, I was stressing about an upcoming Divination exam, so whenever those two went by, I genuinely felt like scowling. Each and every time I see them, I can feel knots pooling in my stomach and I involuntarily clench my fists.
What's the most frustrating thing about it is that I still can't see the reason why. Not even Trelawney could provide me with any advice. I'm feeling desperate while I shouldn't. I'm wary of telling Lauren or Fay as well because surely, they don't have the same problem, and if word got out, my reputation would go down the toilet. That's how I feel, at least.
Can you give me some advice, pretty please?
Until next time,
Lavender
~oOo~
Dear Heather,
I think I managed to figure out the problem, and it dawned on me after a talk I had with Lauren. She told me she had wanted to hex this Hufflepuff girl into next Sunday because Dean only had eyes for her and not Lauren, so I replied by saying she should probably reconsider her plan of getting Dean. I told her that if she wanted it to work, she should get over her jealousy and make Dean jealous instead.
Then, a thought hit me. What if I had been jealous the whole time? See, I never had a twin with whom I could be best friends with, but until now, it didn't bother me. Then, a pair of twins enter the school at fourteen instead of eleven—which is ridiculous in itself—and they make me realise that I want to have someone I can share everything with.
And I hate these twins for having something I don't. It's stupid, really.
Pretty please, can you help me?
Thanks,
Lavender
~oOo~
Dear Heather,
You'll never guess what happened last week. It's completely outrageous.
Guess who I was paired with for my next Divination assignment? Parvati Patil, one of the new girls. Of course. I had decided a couple of days before that I would move on from the topic and ignore the two Ravenclaws, but certainly, that won't work now.
I doubt she even likes Divination! It's literally the only subject I want to excel in—unlike the likes of Hermione—and now even that's destroyed. Can you see what I'm talking about? This is really frustrating. I don't want to work with her; however, I don't want to disappoint Professor Trelawney either by asking for a new partner.
What do I do?
I could really do with some sisterly advice.
Thanks in advance,
Lavender
~oOo~
Dear Heather,
I don't know what to do. This whole situation with the Patil twins is freaking me out and everything's unclear. I can't for the life of me figure out my feelings and… I don't know. I really don't.
It's like… Being caught up in a whirlpool, I think? I don't know where I'm going, I don't know what to think, I don't know, I don't know, I don't know.
Please, help me…
Lavender
~oOo~
Dear Heather,
Thanks for your last letter. It really helped me to calm down a bit. You know, I had been freaking out before, but I think it's better now. I can't say my problem resolved, but at least I don't feel as conflicted as I had before. Thank you.
Lavender
~oOo~
Dear Heather,
I may have been wrong about this Parvati girl the whole time. Preposterous, right? Believe me when I say this, but I have my reasons for changing my opinion so fast. Let me just start from the beginning.
At first, I was sceptical about the assignment we had to write. The theme of our assignment was Contacting Spirits Through Various Means, so I thought that if Parvati was up to it, we could try some of the methods to see how they work. Turns out she has an Ouija Board at home, which she has already tried with Padma once, and told me we could use it again if I wanted to. Isn't that amazing? I've never seen an actual Ouija Board, so I jumped at the opportunity.
Then, she told me about some of the often-used methods in India. Did you know how many kind of rituals there are? I myself was surprised. Parvati told me it was not a big deal, though, because she had always liked Divination, and that way back, when her family was still living in India, she would always skim through some of the books in her parents' library because she found them interesting. She told me that if I wanted to, she would show me those books as well. All this, coming from a Ravenclaw. Something I never would have guessed, for sure.
Also, did you know that she and Padma came to Hogwarts this year because previously, their family had been travelling around the world, and decided to settle only now? And that Parvati's favourite colour is cherry? You know, cherry is also my favourite colour, especially when it comes to dresses. In connection with that, we talked about the upcoming Yule Ball. About that, I know I already have a dress you've chosen for me, but I really want to buy a cherry-coloured one; do you know any good shops?
To be fair, I feel a tad bit guilty for having hated Parvati for no reason. Should I tell her about it? Or should I keep it all to myself? I mean, I could talk to Lauren or Fay, but that's not the same.
Once again, I'm asking for some advice. Sorry for bothering you this much.
See you later,
Lavender
~oOo~
Dear Heather,
I decided to tell Parvati about my initial thoughts about her and Padma. The reason behind this is that I wanted to be honest with her as a friend. Fortunately, she laughed it off. It was a relief as if a weight had been lifted off my chest.
I also introduced her to Lauren and Fay. Both of them seemed to like her.
In hindsight, doesn't this whole friendship thing sound unlikely? I mean, she's a Ravenclaw, I'm a Gryffindor, and if that wasn't enough, she came to the school late—it's not like I didn't have any friends before her, so it wasn't even a life changing event or anything.
Either way, I'm glad it happened. Also, next time, remind me that being jealous is dumb.
And tell Mum I'm sorry for not being able to come home for Christmas. I can't miss the Yule Ball; I hope you understand.
Talk to you soon,
Lavender