∫ novelty is the storehouse of pleasure
Dear Sergei,
I have left Wales! Temporarily, anyway; my mother will soon be signing Caledfwlch over into my name, and it is being restored like I said it would be, but most of it's going to happen while I'm absent for travel. I hope to meet Graitian and Marion while I'm travelling, but I'm not sure where our schedules will line up quite yet. I hope it'll work out all right, because my mother speaks very highly of them (Marion in particular; I think they're cut from a similar cloth, which I confess worries me a bit).
Speaking of Mama, she and Mr. Malfoy have, as predicted by half of Europe, recently embarked on a relationship of some sort. She seems pleased (with him and, I think, extremely so with herself), so I guess I'm not meant to worry - but I admit I thought she was on a fool's errand when she declared where she was going. Of course she denied it in as many ways as she could think of, and I think even believed her own denials, but the result speaks for itself, doesn't it? I think you must be completely unsurprised, as you read my letter - I was only a little surprised myself. I suspect Mr. LeMat will be pleased, so I'm going to write to him as well after I finish this.
I'm currently writing to you from the train's sleeper car, and it is absolutely my favourite way to travel. It is much better like this than going to and from the Institute was - but of the ways we had (have!) there for travel, I only used the train once or twice. It's the most romanticized way to travel, but rightly in my opinion. I've taken your advice about muggle televisions and I saw a film set on a train! It was Murder On The Orient Express, which you may not know is an adaptation of one of the authors that I mentioned to you, Agatha Christie, with her character Hercule Poirot. They absolutely brought him to life and I know that I'm still decades behind in my preferences, but I like what I like. I found another adaptation of something I'd read - Waugh's Brideshead Revisited, The Sacred And Profane Memories of Captain Charles Ryder - and I am considering trying to see if any of my other authors have had similar things. BR reminds me a bit of Mama's history - in theme and atmosphere more than anything and atmosphere most of all - but it does always break my heart a little.
But what about you? Have you done anything remarkable in its dullness or extremely mad? On a scale of accountants to Alastor Moody, where do you think your current habits lie?
Your friend,
Dunyasha