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Dear Harry
Thank you for your support about Mom and going to Caltech, it did make me feel better to hear someone I trust's opinion. I know it myself that Mom would want me to go to Caltech it's just that I've taken care of her for so long that it feels like it should be my responsibility and it's so easy to fall into feeling guilty for abandoning her and none of her friends and relatives make me feel any better about it. They act like they don't mind helping out but then criticise me for leaving which is the only reason Mom and I need the help. It doesn't help that I'm not at all confident they won't decide that it's too much effort or too difficult when she goes through a really bad patch. If her friends are telling me the truth, and there's no reason to believe that they're not, she's only had a few mildly bad days so far.
Are you really enjoying reading about Chemistry? And not just for my sake? You don't need to learn things to impress me, just be yourself and read what you're interested in, I'll be interested in hearing whatever you've been learning. You won't start to study Chemistry in class until next year I think and if you read too far ahead you run the risk of being bored in class. What else have you been reading or researching lately?
It's great that you're not sharing a class with Dudley this year, and I know you can't seem to have improved on your report card. I would've suggested that you learn to forge your Aunts signature but I guess that won't work if she signs Dudley's report card she will know that you have yours to be signed too. However, having to get a bad end of term report doesn't mean you shouldn't do your classwork as well as you can, and try to get to know your classmates. Hopefully they will be willing to at least be friendly in the classroom where they're safe from Dudley's notice and retaliation. And that your teacher will notice the improvement in your attitude in the classroom and take you seriously if you do explain why you can't receive good grades.
I'm still loving everything about Caltech. The classes are still fascinating and the lecturers are so knowledgeable in their fields, it's a real privilege to be learning from them. They're moving at a much faster pace than high school so I don't have the time to get far enough ahead to be bored with the material. The houses have a reputation for pranking each other but it's mostly one whole house pranked by another, it's never personal. I haven't been caught up in a prank yet thank goodness but I'm sure I will be eventually. I am slowly getting to know the other students in my house and the students in my labs and tutorial groups. So far everyone's been curious how I could be here so young and I occasionally deduce a little jealousy in their reaction to my explanations but nobody has acted on it. In fact, I'm highly sought after as a lab partner even after I made it clear that I would not be doing my partner's work for them. Many of the others feel the same as me that they don't want to carry someone like they did at high school and the figure that I'm a good candidate for wanting to do my own work as well as not having the ability to bully anyone into doing it for me.
Ethan and I are getting along well for the most part. He has an electronic keyboard that he sometimes spends half the night playing. He's considerate about using his headphones with it so I can barely hear the music but the clicking of the keys can be disruptive if I'm trying to sleep. I don't think he realises and it's not a loud sound, most people wouldn't have too much trouble with it. It's odd sharing a room. I've never wanted to. I always felt safer by myself, even with Mom since I never could predict how she'd be when she woke up. The only person I truly felt safe sleeping with is you. So it took a while to feel safe enough to sleep and I'm still having some trouble with it when I know Ethan's not sleeping. The other students on our floor are friendly towards the two of us and invite us to some of the activities that occur during the day. I'm not sure if they think we're young enough to still need a curfew and bedtime or they're trying to keep us away from seeing the behaviour that occurs after a couple of hours drinking alcohol.
I'm glad you feel fitter and stronger and I'm sure you have grown as much as would be normal for you at your age and as much as the others this summer but you cannot expect so many years of near starvation to be caught up with less than a year of eating properly. I'm sure that with another year or two you will start to really catch up with the height you should have been but remember also that you have no idea how tall your father was.
I laughed at the idea of Vernon and Dudley getting all their least favourite foods every night. Do you have any idea what he's done to not only be getting this treatment but accepting it without a single argument. Well at least at the time, it's possible they argued behind closed doors or when they knew you and Dudley were both out of the house. I hope it continues as long as they're not making you suffer for Vernon's wrongdoings.
Your friend
Spencer
A/N: Thank you to all those who reviewed followed or favourited this story for your support.