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.
Wednesday 20/12/89
Dear Spencer,
Merry Christmas. This is the last day of term for us and I'm writing in the library so I can send it on my way home. It's cold here now too. Too cold to sit or stand still in the yard but most of the kids still prefer to go out and run around, so the library still isn't crowded. I probably would too if I knew Dudley and his gang would leave me alone and I had warm waterproof shoes.
I expect that Petunia will have me too busy getting the house and everything ready for Christmas to get out until the 25th. She's still complaining to me about being behind on her preparations because of our holiday which is stupid because we got home nearly eight weeks ago and she hasn't done anything, she's been too busy with her garden club and stuff.
Dudley wrote his one letter for the year last week. To Santa. That was late, he normally Petunia has him write it at the start of December but this time it was a school assignment, so I guess she's behind in doing his shopping even if she wasn't with anything else and that's probably stressful because not having the things Dudley wants under the tree will ruin their Christmas. It's basically a demand for all the latest toys and electronic games, he wants another replacement for his Sega Video Game console that he broke when he lost a game a couple of months ago. Hopefully they'll soon make one that's harder to break. Petunia was really impressed that he said please so I'm sure he will get every single thing on the list. I didn't tell her that the teacher made him. I had to write a letter too. I wanted to spend the time writing to you because writing to Santa is stupid, well stupid for orphans like me but the teacher was grading the letters which meant that I couldn't even be honest about the list. If I was being honest the only things on it would've been for another relative to come and take me away from the Dursleys, with a very good reason why they hadn't been able to come before this and to spend the Christmas Holidays in Las Vegas with you. I was careful to throw the letter in the bin on my way home though, just having brought it into the house would have earned me a beating and ridicule for forgetting that 'freaks like me don't deserve Santa to come to them.' As if I'm not old enough to understand that it's just them laying out the gifts for Dudley.
I have to admit that I was ever so relieved when I found that out. Dudley's friend Malcolm told me last year, hoping to make me cry. He looked so confused when I didn't react. To me it was the first indication that it wasn't the whole universe who hated me. I never could understand how Dudley could be good enough for Santa to leave him gifts and I wasn't, though the year before I found out I thought that maybe I was being left gifts and the Dursleys just gave them to Dudley anyway and that if so Santa was stupid not to notice and give the gifts to me in my cupboard where the Dursleys couldn't see them. I doubt Dudley still believes in Santa either but he pretends he does because that way he can throw a tantrum if Santa doesn't bring everything on his list and his parents don't buy him at least half a dozen other presents as well.
Anyway, the Christmas cake, the Christmas pudding, and the mince pies, shortbread and gingerbread still need to be made so I'll be doing that tomorrow. I hope the pudding has time to mature properly and tastes okay we normally do make it during the October term break when I was with you, and Petunia will think that I've totally ruined Christmas if it isn't good. The rest of the things would've been made this week anyway though because when she tried to make them earlier she just had to make them all again and again anyway.
I had a look in one of the few Russian books in the town library it looks impossibly complicated. Are you trying to learn to speak Russian or just to read it? If you're trying to speak it then maybe one of those taped lesson series so you can read along as you hear the words might help. Even if you're not trying to speak it listening as you read might help you to sort out the letters. I met a gentleman in the library who said he thought that was the only way to learn a language short of moving to the country for six months to a small town where nobody speaks much English and you need to learn to communicate to eat. But I suppose you cannot drag your mother through the Russian countryside just to learn to read Russian classics in their original language.
I have been working on trying to use my power every day so it doesn't build up to the point that I lose control of it and so far it seems to be working, I haven't even felt it come close to the level that it will do something without me concentrating really hard to do it. I make light at night to read by and started trying to move things about quietly. Recently I've been trying to use it to undo the lock on the outside of my bedroom door and relock it, and I finally succeeded. The other day when I was alone in the house I managed to oil the lock and hinges to my bedroom too so now at night I can unlock the door and sneak out to get food if they haven't given me enough at dinner. Nobody notices it missing, or if Petunia does, she thinks that Vernon or Dudley must have eaten it and there's no point asking them about it. I take care to always take the same things that they'd take.
I hope you and your mum have a merry Christmas. Do you still pretend to believe in Santa for your mum or is she fine with you knowing he isn't real? Are there any American traditions that I don't know about? What's your favourite part of Christmas?
Your friend
Harry.
A/N: Thank you to all those who reviewed followed or favourited this story for your support.