Chapter 8
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or Criminal Minds or any of their characters. I do however own this story, I wrote it and I do NOTgive permission for anyone to post it anywhere else. If you want to share it post a link.
Saturday 11/11/89
Dear Harry,
I was so glad to get your letter, Mom was fine with seeing the envelope for me too. I told her about you, that you are a pen friend from England, I think she got the impression that this is a school assignment and that we haven't met but she was happy with the prospect of me making an epistolary friend, and told me about several friends she used to write to regularly. It sounded like she wrote to them right up until she became too ill to work. I wonder what happened to them and why they haven't tried to keep in contact?
I had the best birthday ever because I got to spend it with a friend in spite of having to celebrate two days early to do so. My actual birthday was great too, one of the best I can remember. Mom had a good day, and she remembered that it was my birthday, though she hadn't managed to buy me a present ahead of time she had baked a cake which we ate for breakfast and then she took me out shopping and I got some new clothes and books, and we went to Binion's for lunch. I couldn't take you there, they know me and my family too well to let me in without Mom, but they're the best place for seafood ad Mom's all-time favorite place to eat. Their chicken fried lobster is my and Mom's all-time favorite meals. I didn't hear from Dad yet again, but I didn't really expect to. I wonder if he even remembered it was my birthday or if he knew and still decided not to contact me.
Mom's new medication seems to be working and she's had more good days than bad days in the past two weeks. Things are looking up at home and I haven't needed the hideout as a safe place since you left. I haven't spent much time there actually, it isn't the same without you, it feels like something is missing and I can't settle. I miss having you to talk to on my way to and from school. It was nice to have someone with whom I could be totally myself without worrying how you would react.
I'm glad you got home safely and that the Dursleys aren't being too horrible. I can't believe I wrote that, they aren't just horrible they're abusive and criminal in their behavior to you, I didn't mean to minimize their behavior in any way. I hope that you're not injured and that you're right in believing that being home where the neighbors know you will stop them from going too far. But Harry, remember what I said about the Nazi's and the Jews. By giving you such a bad reputation in the neighborhood the Dursleys make you seem less human to the neighbors and make their mistreatment of you seem more reasonable or deserved. You're right that your teachers and the school nurse should have reported your injuries. In fact, I think they are mandated by law to report any sign of abuse in the children under their care. I don't know why they haven't, what is stopping them, it worries me. Please Harry, you can't depend on the Dursleys always being more afraid of what the neighbors might think, than they're angry at you. You've said that they let you go to school with visible bruises so they don't care if people see you're hurt. I still think you ought to go to the police of course but I'm not going to nag about it any further. It is your decision even if I don't understand the choice you're making.
I'm glad that you've found an alternate source of food than the Dursleys and that you met someone you could trust enough to tell them about the letters. You shouldn't feel guilty about the help your getting from the people at the restaurant, you really do need the extra food they give you. Just because you're not sleeping on the street doesn't mean you're not malnourished and frequently starving, requiring assistance or deserving of being helped. I'm so glad that you've found someone to assist you not just with receiving letters so we can keep in touch but now you have someone to turn to. Someone other than me that cares about you getting enough to eat and someone who will hopefully notice and do something about it if you're locked in and disappear for weeks, or turn up with unexplainable injuries.
School continues just the same. Nothing at all interesting has happened here since you left other than the day out with Mom. On the plus side I haven't been injured at home or at school since you last healed me and I'm feeling great. My classes and the homework assignments are boring, they even seem to bore most of the teachers. I'm sure if I got a hold of the assignments from years ago they'd be exactly the same and I wonder how the teachers can stand to teach and grade the same things year after year, it's bad enough having to sit through it the first time and it makes It easier for those who want to cheat. I wish I could just test out of the rest of the year and spend my time in self study but the idiot of a guidance counsellor insists that being in class is essential and teaches more than just the subject on the syllabus, but I don't see what, other than how to dodge and hide from bullies, how to be hurt and avoid showing that their cruelty upsets you, and perhaps that those who are suppose to look out for you cannot be relied on. Not the lessons she had in mind, I'm sure.
I've been learning to read Russian. Mom had several translations of Russian classics that I loved but she always said it's better to read things in the language they were written in. At least that's the excuse she gave for teaching me to read French and Latin years ago. But she doesn't read Russian so she can't help me, and it has its own alphabet so it's slow going. Still it's keeping my brain occupied.
Your friend
Spencer.
A/N: Thank you to all those who reviewed followed or favourited this story for your support.