Challenge #026: Hogwarts Letter // Challenge #034: Correspondence // Challenge #040: Travel Abroad
Title: Yes, Your Child is Magical-Now What?
Rating/Warnings: G
Characters/Pairing: McGonagall, Mr & Mrs Boot
Summary: Muggleborn Hogwarts Letter
Word Count: 1382
Author's Notes: For the challenge Muggleborn Hogwarts letters.
Registered purchases?: Both!
Dear Mr and Mrs Boot,
We are pleased to inform you that your son, Terry Boot, has been accepted into the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry starting the following term, on the 1st of September, 1991. He has exhibited extraordinary magical talent in the midst of a non-magical background and we would like to instruct him in the proper use of it.
Often when we send this letter to non-magical parents, we will get two reactions. The first, the primary, the immediate, is a variation of shock and surprise. 'But what are they talking about?', they often ask. 'What do they mean?'
To that, I can verily assure you, Mr and Mrs Boot, that this is no joke. That magic is, in fact, quite real, and that there is a school for learning it. Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry has a long and storied history, and it is a privilege for your son to attend it. There he will meet students very much like him, with similar and dissimilar backgrounds and abilities, and professors who are the most learned in their respective fields. He will learn the appropriate use of a wand, and of course, he will also learn about the wizarding world and its cultures.
The second, more secret reaction, the one that parents are surprised we would know about, is relief. I say this, for upon reading this letter, most parents often find the most simple explanation for the most extraordinary of things. 'So that's what was going on,' they often think. 'So that explains it.'
And that, Mr and Mrs Boot, is exactly why Terry needs to go to Hogwarts. If you have ever had strange things happen in the household--a suddenly broken piece of furniture, an unexplainable change in somebody's appearance--then you must know that it is a small manifestation of your son's magical power, heretofore unknown to you, and uncontrollable to him.
I hope you would be relieved to know that it isn't just you. All wizards start out this way. They exhibit magical behaviour but are unable to harness their magic to do much of anything. This is where Hogwarts can, and will, help.
For your son, as well, may be wondering these very same things. He may be thinking to himself that he is different, that he is unlike his peers. At Hogwarts he will be one student of a thousand, similarly inexperienced, similarly magical. Here he will find the very best friends of his life, and we do not make these promises lightly. Hogwarts will be his second home--we will take very good care of your son, and we will be delighted to have him.
I apologise for the length this introduction has gone, but we have found in the past that too short an explanation rarely lends credence to our letter, and it is often better to err on the side of caution in this regard.
We send out these letters once a year, and we do have a number that go out to non-magical parents like yourselves. Often we find that it is more difficult to convey everything about our world with one letter, so we will be sending a representative to your place of residence shortly in order to discuss more specific logistics about your son attending Hogwarts as well as answer any further questions you three may have.
Attached in this owl is a short book that we hope will help, meanwhile, in helping you understand more about wizards and our lives. It covers the basics of commerce, government, education, as well as many other things that I am certain you'll find very valuable.
We should note, at this point, that secrecy is of utmost importance. The wizarding world has stayed behind the scenes, unknown to most non-magical folks, and we do want it to stay that way. If there are others who are aware of what your son and others like him are capable of, well then, we worry about what they might do.
While magical ability comes with its own set of problems, as most things do, few ever see that it is not the answer, the end-all and be-all to everything. Magic, Mr and Mrs Boot, does not solve everything. Magic does not do everything. We hope you understand there is a certain level of risk in exposing our world to all of yours should you ever discuss this letter outside of your family. Then we will have to come in with our magical cops and take care that the information is forgotten. We do not want to have it come to that.
That said, please do take the time to read "Yes, Your Child is Magical-Now What? A Compilation of Short Answers to Most Frequently Asked Questions by Non-Magical Parents" while you wait for our visit.
As to the matter of telling Terry he is magical, we will leave it up to you to decide what manner is best. Over the years we have learned that a simple and honest discussion is best and that letting him know that you are supportive of him and his abilities will help stem whatever concerns he may have. We will also suggest that you do show him the letter so that he may see it for himself, and that he is aware of when our representative arrives. We would very much like to meet the entire family ahead of time.
If there are any other children in the household, we would like to caution you that they may not share your son's magical ability. If they are older, then we know that for a certainty--our letter would have arrived for you earlier. If they are younger, then you must not let them assume they will receive a letter as well. We will, again, defer to your judgement as to how to break this news. Should they wish, we will also be very happy to meet them and answer whatever questions they may have about Hogwarts and their brother.
As we have already mentioned in this letter, we will be sending over a representative very shortly in order to help field whatever other questions you may have. We have tried, in the past, to ensure that our letters are sufficient for such matters, but have found that there is no amount of magical divining ability in the world large enough to foresee anything and everything that you may be wondering about. As we have said, the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry has a long and storied history: to cram all of that information in a letter our owls can deliver is bordering on the impossible. (There is, however, a book for purchase: Hogwarts, A History, that you may peruse at your leisure.) We hope our representative will be able to answer all of your questions about the magical world and your son's place in it.
We understand, as well, if you are reluctant to change your plans for your family. Perhaps Terry has already been accepted in a similarly prestigious but non-magical place of learning, and you worry about him missing out on the non-magical subjects. Perhaps you don't wish to send him off to school at all. Perhaps you don't want anything to do with magic. We hope you will receive our representative into your homes regardless, and that you listen to what they have to say.
We will be sending you Professor Aurora Sinistra, our Arithmancy professor. While she teaches a subject that only third years and up may learn, she has the unique position of being born into a non-magical household much like your son was. She will be happy to let you know what to expect, and she is perhaps the best positioned to allay your concerns. We will be sending another owl shortly to confirm the date and time of her arrival.
If you have by now decided that you might like to consider sending your son to Hogwarts after all, you will find attached a list of supplies that must be purchased for his first term at Hogwarts. Professor Sinistra will instruct you in how to shop for these items, as well as how to send your son off to Hogwarts.
Yours sincerely,
Minerva McGonagall
Deputy Headmistress
Word count points: 1382/30 = 46 pts
Bonus points: 10 pts
Title: On the Account of Rose Weasley's Sorting into Slytherin
Rating/Warnings: G
Characters/Pairing: Rose, James, Albus, Scorpius, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Harry, Astoria, Minerva, Victoire, Teddy
Summary: A flurry of owls.
Word Count: 1638
Author's Notes: Based off my entry (#2) at Sorter Anon's "letters home" activity here. Let's assume these letters all took place after Rose's letter was sent out.
Registered purchases?: Both!
James
Dearest Mum and Dad,
You will never guess where Rose got Sorted!
NEVER.
Love, your favorite son,
James
PS. Okay, you can try to guess. But I'm sure you still won't guess it right.
PPS. Al's in Gryffindor like you told him he could be. Tell him not to bother me and my friends, he's already hanging around like a lost puppy.
PPPS. Hi Lils. You're next.
PPPPS. Love you, gotta run, Quidditch tryouts bright and early tomorrow!
Albus
Dear Mum and Dad,
Hogwarts is great, like you said it would be! Dad, I'm pleased to tell you I got Sorted into Gryffindor, just like you said I'd be! The Hat was very nice and everything, and he didn't even say anything about Slytherin. He said I was Gryffindor through and through and I barely sat there for longer than ten seconds, at MOST!
Rose, though... Hers took a little bit longer.
Okay. A lot longer.
James has probably told you by now, and I guess she's going to tell Uncle Ron and Aunt Hermione soon too, but she got Sorted differently. I don't think she told the Hat where she wanted to go at all, either! I mean. It definitely looked like they were talking for a while, but it must not have listened to her or anything. But we're not going to be taking the same classes all the time, and I don't know if--
Dad, Rose is in Slytherin. She's going to be okay, right? I mean. You said they weren't bad anymore. They wouldn't--she's going to be okay, right?
Say hi to Lily for me. Tell her I'm saving her a seat at the Great Hall next year.
Love you both,
Al
Victoire
My dearest Mama and Papa,
Hogwarts is as it has ever been, and Teddy and I did arrive safely. You do not need to worry. I am excited to be taking my classes this year. We have a new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor (didn't Aunt Ginny say that curse is supposed to be lifted? I mean, Professor Bollyn did spend more than a few years in his post here, but there are rumours that he's gotten tangled with some shady characters in Albany..) and I hope she is decent. I still do want to become an Auror after Hogwarts and I'll need to do my very best here.
My cousins went through their Sorting well, or at least, as well as can be expected. James, as always, remains the way he is. Uncle Harry will be happy to know he and Aunt Ginny are two-for-two--Albus was Sorted into Gryffindor today. I'm not entirely sure what Uncle Ron and Aunt Hermione are going to do, however.
Rose, as it turns out, is a Slytherin.
Well, I should be going soon. Send my love to everyone. I miss you both and will write often.
Love,
Victoire
Teddy
Uncle Harry,
Rose. Slytherin. Yeah. You better go see if Uncle Ron's still breathing. Bet he'd have heard by now.
Teddy
Ginny
James Sirius Potter,
Do not make Rose's or Albus' lives living hell, okay? Be nice to them or you will hear it from me.
Your mother
Scorpius
Father, Mother,
It is with a heavy heart that I wish to inform you that I, Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy, have been Sorted, most grievously, into Gryffindor.
I understand if you would like to send me the rest of my things in the next few days. I will either find a new place to live, or drown myself in the Lake, whichever is more preferable to you both.
Deeply sorry,
Scorpius
(your former son)
McGonagall
Dear Mr. and Mrs. Weasley,
I normally do not write letters such as this but it seems imperative, what with all of the excitement today and the mad dash for the owlery that followed so soon after Sorting, that I inform you that your daughter, Rose Weasley, has been Sorted into Slytherin.
No, Mr. Weasley, there hasn't been a mistake. The Sorting Hat is never wrong and there was nothing defective at all in the Sorting. It is not a decision that can be reversed, magically binding as it was.
Yes, Mrs. Weasley, your daughter is fine. She is settling into her dormitories and, dare I even say it, making new friends. Professor Slughorn will see to it that she is comfortable and welcomed.
Yours,
Minerva McGonagall
Headmistress
McGonagall
Dear Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy,
I normally do not write letters such as this but it seems imperative, what with all of the excitement today and the mad dash for the owlery that followed so soon after Sorting, that I inform you that your son, Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy, has been Sorted into Gryffindor.
No, Mr. Malfoy, there hasn't been a mistake. The Sorting Hat is never wrong and there was nothing defective at all in the Sorting. It is not a decision that can be reversed, magically binding as it was.
Yes, Mrs. Malfoy, your son is fine. He is settling into his dormitories and hopefully making new friends. Professor Longbottom will see to it that he is comfortable and welcomed.
Yours,
Minerva McGonagall
Headmistress
Hermione
Dear Headmistress McGonagall,
Thank you so much for your letter. Yes, Rose has indeed told us already. I am confident that she will be in good hands and, again, thank you for taking the time to inform us personally.
Best,
Hermione Granger-Weasley
Ginny
Hermione,
My sons just told me. Have you heard about Rose yet? Let me know; owl me as soon as you can, yeah? Maybe we can have some tea?
Love,
Ginny
Ron
Harry,
I sired a Slytherin. How did this happen?
Ron
Astoria
Dear Scorpius,
You do not need to go into theatrics over something as minor as a Sorting placement. Your father and I love you very much and will continue to do so, Slytherin or not. We will not be sending you any of your things nor do we condone any threats of offing yourself in the Lake. Do let us know if you'd rather have red-and-gold sheets and pajamas instead; we will send Mimsy with the instructions to do a new bit of shopping at Diagon Alley tomorrow if necessary.
Do you need anything from back home?
We miss you.
Love,
Mum and Dad
Astoria
Headmistress McGonagall,
I have heard, and do thank you for your efforts in keeping us informed. While this is certainly surprising news, I trust that Scorpius was placed in a house he is most suited to fit.
I am a little worried that he may be taking this news far harder than either me or my husband are, however. May I request some extra attention given to him by his Head of House and perhaps a prefect or two, or a classmate, to make sure that he's fine?
Thank you very much,
Astoria Greengrass-Malfoy
Rose
Dear Dad,
I already owled mum, but I feel like I should owl you separately, and quickly. I'm not sure if she's already told you, or if I should tell you here, or really... I'm not sure what to say. I mean. You know Scorpius is in Gryffindor, right? So it's not.. I mean, the Hat said it was going to be fine and that it was high time somebody took house unity seriously for once instead of just spouting the same words over and over again. I'm fine, really. And I think mum might understand. Listen to her, okay?
I love you.
Your daughter,
Rose
Harry
Ron,
Calm down. It isn't that bad. I told Albus it was fine if he got Sorted into Slytherin, so you shouldn't worry either. She's going to be fine.
Bet she still beats Malfoy's kid in class, yeah?
Harry
PS. Think Ginny's trying to get Hermione to come over for tea. How about a pint at the pub with me?
Hermione
Rose,
Sweetheart, you know we're proud of you whatever you decide to do. I'm very happy that you think this is a good opportunity to break down house barriers and work towards true house unity. I'm sure that's what you and the Sorting Hat discussed, am I correct?
You have always been fairly ambitious, as well. To say I was surprised by the Sorting wouldn't be honest of me. I wasn't surprised at all, and I know you're more than capable of thriving in a situation like this.
I will work on your father, don't worry. Come Christmastime he'll be similarly pleased.
All my love,
Mum
Ron
Dear Headmistress McGonagall,
Can't you really do anything about this? At all? I mean. So the Malfoy kid is in Gryffindor, right? Does it really matter if two students who got Sorted into different houses decided to switch? I mean, that can work, right? What's the Hat going to do anyway? Eat himself if they don't stay in the house they got sorted into? I'm sure Malfoy will be fine with it too. Right?
What do you think?
The man who married Your favorite student when she was still at Hogwarts,
Ron Weasley
Hermione
Ginny,
Merlin, please and thank you. Any chance we can drown that tea in brandy? Ronald's being ridiculous.
Hermione
McGonagall
Dear Mr. Weasley,
This is not a hostage situation. There will be no inter-house trade. What sort of lesson do you wish to impart to our students?
Good day, Mr. Weasley.
Minerva McGonagall
Headmistress
Ron
Harry,
Of course you'd say that--he got Sorted where you wanted him!
Ron
PS. Pint sounds bloody fantastic.
Ginny
Ron,
Stop being an asshat. Your daughter's fantastic, and she's going to do great things, and it's not going to be a problem! Suck it up.
Ginny
Albus
Dad,
Just what exactly happened between you and Scorpius' dad? He's telling me the craziest stories.
Love,
Albus
Word count points: 1638/30 = 55 pts
Bonus points: 10 pts
Title: Taming Dragons
Rating/Warnings: G
Characters/Pairing: Charlie Weasley
Summary: Charlie's first month as a dragon tamer.
Word Count: 818
Registered purchases?: Both!
Charlie has never gone anywhere outside of England when he first arrives at the Dragon Taming Facilities Training Camp in Romania. It is his first trip abroad and as soon as his duffel bag lands on the dusty floor and he breathes in the crisp fall chill surrounding his leather tent, he knows he is home.
Brandon, his supervisor, gives him a quick tour of the facilities. In the center of the camp is the common tent, where trainers and tamers gather around after shift and at off-peak hours to eat, share a Firewhiskey or two, and get to know each other. The tents lined up along the northern side are for the top trainers--men like Brandon and his peers. The tents to the east, for most of the other dragon tamers, and the southern tents are where Charlie will be staying as a trainee.
The west is left open--beyond it, just a little over a jagged cliff, is the dragon enclosure.
There are many things to know about dragon taming, a lot of soft skills and knowledge that trainees need to acquire before they are able to handle real live dragons. Charlie knows this, he has been told long before he signed up that life would neither be easy nor glamorous at first. Because the enclosure is so far away from civilisation--wizards have mastered all sorts of tricks to maintain secrecy, but they have yet to find a way to hide massive flying beasts from the Muggles' eyes--it needs to be a self-sustaining space.
By the southern tents there is a garden, and Charlie spends his first week pruning vegetables and watering plots of land, cooking stew and serving it to a group of raucous, ravenous tamers. He wakes up early to make breakfast for the crew, spends the hours before noon picking berries and fruits in the forests. In the afternoons he goes to the nearest river to fish for dinner, and late in the evenings he stays in the common area washing dishes, pots and pans.
By the second week he has been promoted, though he cannot say which is a better fate. This time he is allowed into the dragon enclosure, though only to clean out their dung while the trainers take the dragons out to fly. He finds himself pit-deep in the reek of dragon excrement, and no amount of soapy sudsing nor fragrancy spells can quite take the scent away.
In the evenings he gets to know his fellow trainees and their trainers. Brandon is from Wales, which he knew from his accent, and grew up with dragon tamers for parents. Scott is a trainee just like him, but he spent some time doing odd jobs here and there after leaving Hogwarts before ultimately deciding dragon taming was the job he wanted. Patrick left school early to tame dragons; Tomas had always dreamed of doing the same thing. They all have a dream of flying, and when they have time they sneak in a quick game of pick-up Quidditch. They know, though, that nothing can compare to the sensation of flying atop a dragon's back, and though they wake up lacking sleep, and go to bed sore and bruised all over from a full days' work, they all sleep fitfully and dream of dragons.
It is by far the best time he's ever had in his life.
After he's been in the enclosure for at least a month, he goes down to the nearest village with Brandon to purchase more supplies. It is about two hours' flight from the enclosure, and when they arrive at a bustling market and stone-cut walls, Charlie is momentarily stunned. In the excitement of everything he has almost forgotten that he's living in a different country.
Brandon gives him an almost fatherly smile and tells him he's allowed to look around as soon as they finish their shopping.
Charlie follows Brandon, watches as he haggles with the shopkeepers in fluent Romanian and takes note to remember how much of each ingredient he decides to purchase. Brandon seems impressed when Charlie demonstrates a knack for the Undetectable Extension Charm, and they carry their wares around with little difficulty.
Later, Brandon shows him where the best mamaliga stall can be found, and they warm their stomachs on the sweet porridge with some good hard cheese. Charlie can barely mount his broom and fly back in a straight line, so full of food he is, but he manages somehow, much to Brandon's amusement.
They return to camp just as dusk is about to settle in, and Charlie helps Brandon unpack their food and materials and store them in their proper places. Brandon asks him how his time at the camp has been so far, and though he tries hard to stem it, Charlie's enthusiasm seeps through regardless.
Good, Brandon says. Because tomorrow I reckon you're ready to meet the dragons.
Word count points: 818/30 = 27 pts
Bonus points: 10 pts
Total word count points: 46 + 55 + 27 = 128 125 points
Bonus points: 10 + 10 + 10 = 30
Total points: 155 pts for Ravenclaw!
Rating/Warnings: G
Characters/Pairing: McGonagall, Mr & Mrs Boot
Summary: Muggleborn Hogwarts Letter
Word Count: 1382
Author's Notes: For the challenge Muggleborn Hogwarts letters.
Registered purchases?: Both!
Dear Mr and Mrs Boot,
We are pleased to inform you that your son, Terry Boot, has been accepted into the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry starting the following term, on the 1st of September, 1991. He has exhibited extraordinary magical talent in the midst of a non-magical background and we would like to instruct him in the proper use of it.
Often when we send this letter to non-magical parents, we will get two reactions. The first, the primary, the immediate, is a variation of shock and surprise. 'But what are they talking about?', they often ask. 'What do they mean?'
To that, I can verily assure you, Mr and Mrs Boot, that this is no joke. That magic is, in fact, quite real, and that there is a school for learning it. Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry has a long and storied history, and it is a privilege for your son to attend it. There he will meet students very much like him, with similar and dissimilar backgrounds and abilities, and professors who are the most learned in their respective fields. He will learn the appropriate use of a wand, and of course, he will also learn about the wizarding world and its cultures.
The second, more secret reaction, the one that parents are surprised we would know about, is relief. I say this, for upon reading this letter, most parents often find the most simple explanation for the most extraordinary of things. 'So that's what was going on,' they often think. 'So that explains it.'
And that, Mr and Mrs Boot, is exactly why Terry needs to go to Hogwarts. If you have ever had strange things happen in the household--a suddenly broken piece of furniture, an unexplainable change in somebody's appearance--then you must know that it is a small manifestation of your son's magical power, heretofore unknown to you, and uncontrollable to him.
I hope you would be relieved to know that it isn't just you. All wizards start out this way. They exhibit magical behaviour but are unable to harness their magic to do much of anything. This is where Hogwarts can, and will, help.
For your son, as well, may be wondering these very same things. He may be thinking to himself that he is different, that he is unlike his peers. At Hogwarts he will be one student of a thousand, similarly inexperienced, similarly magical. Here he will find the very best friends of his life, and we do not make these promises lightly. Hogwarts will be his second home--we will take very good care of your son, and we will be delighted to have him.
I apologise for the length this introduction has gone, but we have found in the past that too short an explanation rarely lends credence to our letter, and it is often better to err on the side of caution in this regard.
We send out these letters once a year, and we do have a number that go out to non-magical parents like yourselves. Often we find that it is more difficult to convey everything about our world with one letter, so we will be sending a representative to your place of residence shortly in order to discuss more specific logistics about your son attending Hogwarts as well as answer any further questions you three may have.
Attached in this owl is a short book that we hope will help, meanwhile, in helping you understand more about wizards and our lives. It covers the basics of commerce, government, education, as well as many other things that I am certain you'll find very valuable.
We should note, at this point, that secrecy is of utmost importance. The wizarding world has stayed behind the scenes, unknown to most non-magical folks, and we do want it to stay that way. If there are others who are aware of what your son and others like him are capable of, well then, we worry about what they might do.
While magical ability comes with its own set of problems, as most things do, few ever see that it is not the answer, the end-all and be-all to everything. Magic, Mr and Mrs Boot, does not solve everything. Magic does not do everything. We hope you understand there is a certain level of risk in exposing our world to all of yours should you ever discuss this letter outside of your family. Then we will have to come in with our magical cops and take care that the information is forgotten. We do not want to have it come to that.
That said, please do take the time to read "Yes, Your Child is Magical-Now What? A Compilation of Short Answers to Most Frequently Asked Questions by Non-Magical Parents" while you wait for our visit.
As to the matter of telling Terry he is magical, we will leave it up to you to decide what manner is best. Over the years we have learned that a simple and honest discussion is best and that letting him know that you are supportive of him and his abilities will help stem whatever concerns he may have. We will also suggest that you do show him the letter so that he may see it for himself, and that he is aware of when our representative arrives. We would very much like to meet the entire family ahead of time.
If there are any other children in the household, we would like to caution you that they may not share your son's magical ability. If they are older, then we know that for a certainty--our letter would have arrived for you earlier. If they are younger, then you must not let them assume they will receive a letter as well. We will, again, defer to your judgement as to how to break this news. Should they wish, we will also be very happy to meet them and answer whatever questions they may have about Hogwarts and their brother.
As we have already mentioned in this letter, we will be sending over a representative very shortly in order to help field whatever other questions you may have. We have tried, in the past, to ensure that our letters are sufficient for such matters, but have found that there is no amount of magical divining ability in the world large enough to foresee anything and everything that you may be wondering about. As we have said, the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry has a long and storied history: to cram all of that information in a letter our owls can deliver is bordering on the impossible. (There is, however, a book for purchase: Hogwarts, A History, that you may peruse at your leisure.) We hope our representative will be able to answer all of your questions about the magical world and your son's place in it.
We understand, as well, if you are reluctant to change your plans for your family. Perhaps Terry has already been accepted in a similarly prestigious but non-magical place of learning, and you worry about him missing out on the non-magical subjects. Perhaps you don't wish to send him off to school at all. Perhaps you don't want anything to do with magic. We hope you will receive our representative into your homes regardless, and that you listen to what they have to say.
We will be sending you Professor Aurora Sinistra, our Arithmancy professor. While she teaches a subject that only third years and up may learn, she has the unique position of being born into a non-magical household much like your son was. She will be happy to let you know what to expect, and she is perhaps the best positioned to allay your concerns. We will be sending another owl shortly to confirm the date and time of her arrival.
If you have by now decided that you might like to consider sending your son to Hogwarts after all, you will find attached a list of supplies that must be purchased for his first term at Hogwarts. Professor Sinistra will instruct you in how to shop for these items, as well as how to send your son off to Hogwarts.
Yours sincerely,
Minerva McGonagall
Deputy Headmistress
Word count points: 1382/30 = 46 pts
Bonus points: 10 pts
Title: On the Account of Rose Weasley's Sorting into Slytherin
Rating/Warnings: G
Characters/Pairing: Rose, James, Albus, Scorpius, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Harry, Astoria, Minerva, Victoire, Teddy
Summary: A flurry of owls.
Word Count: 1638
Author's Notes: Based off my entry (#2) at Sorter Anon's "letters home" activity here. Let's assume these letters all took place after Rose's letter was sent out.
Registered purchases?: Both!
James
Dearest Mum and Dad,
You will never guess where Rose got Sorted!
NEVER.
Love, your favorite son,
James
PS. Okay, you can try to guess. But I'm sure you still won't guess it right.
PPS. Al's in Gryffindor like you told him he could be. Tell him not to bother me and my friends, he's already hanging around like a lost puppy.
PPPS. Hi Lils. You're next.
PPPPS. Love you, gotta run, Quidditch tryouts bright and early tomorrow!
Albus
Dear Mum and Dad,
Hogwarts is great, like you said it would be! Dad, I'm pleased to tell you I got Sorted into Gryffindor, just like you said I'd be! The Hat was very nice and everything, and he didn't even say anything about Slytherin. He said I was Gryffindor through and through and I barely sat there for longer than ten seconds, at MOST!
Rose, though... Hers took a little bit longer.
Okay. A lot longer.
James has probably told you by now, and I guess she's going to tell Uncle Ron and Aunt Hermione soon too, but she got Sorted differently. I don't think she told the Hat where she wanted to go at all, either! I mean. It definitely looked like they were talking for a while, but it must not have listened to her or anything. But we're not going to be taking the same classes all the time, and I don't know if--
Dad, Rose is in Slytherin. She's going to be okay, right? I mean. You said they weren't bad anymore. They wouldn't--she's going to be okay, right?
Say hi to Lily for me. Tell her I'm saving her a seat at the Great Hall next year.
Love you both,
Al
Victoire
My dearest Mama and Papa,
Hogwarts is as it has ever been, and Teddy and I did arrive safely. You do not need to worry. I am excited to be taking my classes this year. We have a new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor (didn't Aunt Ginny say that curse is supposed to be lifted? I mean, Professor Bollyn did spend more than a few years in his post here, but there are rumours that he's gotten tangled with some shady characters in Albany..) and I hope she is decent. I still do want to become an Auror after Hogwarts and I'll need to do my very best here.
My cousins went through their Sorting well, or at least, as well as can be expected. James, as always, remains the way he is. Uncle Harry will be happy to know he and Aunt Ginny are two-for-two--Albus was Sorted into Gryffindor today. I'm not entirely sure what Uncle Ron and Aunt Hermione are going to do, however.
Rose, as it turns out, is a Slytherin.
Well, I should be going soon. Send my love to everyone. I miss you both and will write often.
Love,
Victoire
Teddy
Uncle Harry,
Rose. Slytherin. Yeah. You better go see if Uncle Ron's still breathing. Bet he'd have heard by now.
Teddy
Ginny
James Sirius Potter,
Do not make Rose's or Albus' lives living hell, okay? Be nice to them or you will hear it from me.
Your mother
Scorpius
Father, Mother,
It is with a heavy heart that I wish to inform you that I, Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy, have been Sorted, most grievously, into Gryffindor.
I understand if you would like to send me the rest of my things in the next few days. I will either find a new place to live, or drown myself in the Lake, whichever is more preferable to you both.
Deeply sorry,
Scorpius
(your former son)
McGonagall
Dear Mr. and Mrs. Weasley,
I normally do not write letters such as this but it seems imperative, what with all of the excitement today and the mad dash for the owlery that followed so soon after Sorting, that I inform you that your daughter, Rose Weasley, has been Sorted into Slytherin.
No, Mr. Weasley, there hasn't been a mistake. The Sorting Hat is never wrong and there was nothing defective at all in the Sorting. It is not a decision that can be reversed, magically binding as it was.
Yes, Mrs. Weasley, your daughter is fine. She is settling into her dormitories and, dare I even say it, making new friends. Professor Slughorn will see to it that she is comfortable and welcomed.
Yours,
Minerva McGonagall
Headmistress
McGonagall
Dear Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy,
I normally do not write letters such as this but it seems imperative, what with all of the excitement today and the mad dash for the owlery that followed so soon after Sorting, that I inform you that your son, Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy, has been Sorted into Gryffindor.
No, Mr. Malfoy, there hasn't been a mistake. The Sorting Hat is never wrong and there was nothing defective at all in the Sorting. It is not a decision that can be reversed, magically binding as it was.
Yes, Mrs. Malfoy, your son is fine. He is settling into his dormitories and hopefully making new friends. Professor Longbottom will see to it that he is comfortable and welcomed.
Yours,
Minerva McGonagall
Headmistress
Hermione
Dear Headmistress McGonagall,
Thank you so much for your letter. Yes, Rose has indeed told us already. I am confident that she will be in good hands and, again, thank you for taking the time to inform us personally.
Best,
Hermione Granger-Weasley
Ginny
Hermione,
My sons just told me. Have you heard about Rose yet? Let me know; owl me as soon as you can, yeah? Maybe we can have some tea?
Love,
Ginny
Ron
Harry,
I sired a Slytherin. How did this happen?
Ron
Astoria
Dear Scorpius,
You do not need to go into theatrics over something as minor as a Sorting placement. Your father and I love you very much and will continue to do so, Slytherin or not. We will not be sending you any of your things nor do we condone any threats of offing yourself in the Lake. Do let us know if you'd rather have red-and-gold sheets and pajamas instead; we will send Mimsy with the instructions to do a new bit of shopping at Diagon Alley tomorrow if necessary.
Do you need anything from back home?
We miss you.
Love,
Mum and Dad
Astoria
Headmistress McGonagall,
I have heard, and do thank you for your efforts in keeping us informed. While this is certainly surprising news, I trust that Scorpius was placed in a house he is most suited to fit.
I am a little worried that he may be taking this news far harder than either me or my husband are, however. May I request some extra attention given to him by his Head of House and perhaps a prefect or two, or a classmate, to make sure that he's fine?
Thank you very much,
Astoria Greengrass-Malfoy
Rose
Dear Dad,
I already owled mum, but I feel like I should owl you separately, and quickly. I'm not sure if she's already told you, or if I should tell you here, or really... I'm not sure what to say. I mean. You know Scorpius is in Gryffindor, right? So it's not.. I mean, the Hat said it was going to be fine and that it was high time somebody took house unity seriously for once instead of just spouting the same words over and over again. I'm fine, really. And I think mum might understand. Listen to her, okay?
I love you.
Your daughter,
Rose
Harry
Ron,
Calm down. It isn't that bad. I told Albus it was fine if he got Sorted into Slytherin, so you shouldn't worry either. She's going to be fine.
Bet she still beats Malfoy's kid in class, yeah?
Harry
PS. Think Ginny's trying to get Hermione to come over for tea. How about a pint at the pub with me?
Hermione
Rose,
Sweetheart, you know we're proud of you whatever you decide to do. I'm very happy that you think this is a good opportunity to break down house barriers and work towards true house unity. I'm sure that's what you and the Sorting Hat discussed, am I correct?
You have always been fairly ambitious, as well. To say I was surprised by the Sorting wouldn't be honest of me. I wasn't surprised at all, and I know you're more than capable of thriving in a situation like this.
I will work on your father, don't worry. Come Christmastime he'll be similarly pleased.
All my love,
Mum
Ron
Dear Headmistress McGonagall,
Can't you really do anything about this? At all? I mean. So the Malfoy kid is in Gryffindor, right? Does it really matter if two students who got Sorted into different houses decided to switch? I mean, that can work, right? What's the Hat going to do anyway? Eat himself if they don't stay in the house they got sorted into? I'm sure Malfoy will be fine with it too. Right?
What do you think?
The man who married Your favorite student when she was still at Hogwarts,
Ron Weasley
Hermione
Ginny,
Merlin, please and thank you. Any chance we can drown that tea in brandy? Ronald's being ridiculous.
Hermione
McGonagall
Dear Mr. Weasley,
This is not a hostage situation. There will be no inter-house trade. What sort of lesson do you wish to impart to our students?
Good day, Mr. Weasley.
Minerva McGonagall
Headmistress
Ron
Harry,
Of course you'd say that--he got Sorted where you wanted him!
Ron
PS. Pint sounds bloody fantastic.
Ginny
Ron,
Stop being an asshat. Your daughter's fantastic, and she's going to do great things, and it's not going to be a problem! Suck it up.
Ginny
Albus
Dad,
Just what exactly happened between you and Scorpius' dad? He's telling me the craziest stories.
Love,
Albus
Word count points: 1638/30 = 55 pts
Bonus points: 10 pts
Title: Taming Dragons
Rating/Warnings: G
Characters/Pairing: Charlie Weasley
Summary: Charlie's first month as a dragon tamer.
Word Count: 818
Registered purchases?: Both!
Charlie has never gone anywhere outside of England when he first arrives at the Dragon Taming Facilities Training Camp in Romania. It is his first trip abroad and as soon as his duffel bag lands on the dusty floor and he breathes in the crisp fall chill surrounding his leather tent, he knows he is home.
Brandon, his supervisor, gives him a quick tour of the facilities. In the center of the camp is the common tent, where trainers and tamers gather around after shift and at off-peak hours to eat, share a Firewhiskey or two, and get to know each other. The tents lined up along the northern side are for the top trainers--men like Brandon and his peers. The tents to the east, for most of the other dragon tamers, and the southern tents are where Charlie will be staying as a trainee.
The west is left open--beyond it, just a little over a jagged cliff, is the dragon enclosure.
There are many things to know about dragon taming, a lot of soft skills and knowledge that trainees need to acquire before they are able to handle real live dragons. Charlie knows this, he has been told long before he signed up that life would neither be easy nor glamorous at first. Because the enclosure is so far away from civilisation--wizards have mastered all sorts of tricks to maintain secrecy, but they have yet to find a way to hide massive flying beasts from the Muggles' eyes--it needs to be a self-sustaining space.
By the southern tents there is a garden, and Charlie spends his first week pruning vegetables and watering plots of land, cooking stew and serving it to a group of raucous, ravenous tamers. He wakes up early to make breakfast for the crew, spends the hours before noon picking berries and fruits in the forests. In the afternoons he goes to the nearest river to fish for dinner, and late in the evenings he stays in the common area washing dishes, pots and pans.
By the second week he has been promoted, though he cannot say which is a better fate. This time he is allowed into the dragon enclosure, though only to clean out their dung while the trainers take the dragons out to fly. He finds himself pit-deep in the reek of dragon excrement, and no amount of soapy sudsing nor fragrancy spells can quite take the scent away.
In the evenings he gets to know his fellow trainees and their trainers. Brandon is from Wales, which he knew from his accent, and grew up with dragon tamers for parents. Scott is a trainee just like him, but he spent some time doing odd jobs here and there after leaving Hogwarts before ultimately deciding dragon taming was the job he wanted. Patrick left school early to tame dragons; Tomas had always dreamed of doing the same thing. They all have a dream of flying, and when they have time they sneak in a quick game of pick-up Quidditch. They know, though, that nothing can compare to the sensation of flying atop a dragon's back, and though they wake up lacking sleep, and go to bed sore and bruised all over from a full days' work, they all sleep fitfully and dream of dragons.
It is by far the best time he's ever had in his life.
After he's been in the enclosure for at least a month, he goes down to the nearest village with Brandon to purchase more supplies. It is about two hours' flight from the enclosure, and when they arrive at a bustling market and stone-cut walls, Charlie is momentarily stunned. In the excitement of everything he has almost forgotten that he's living in a different country.
Brandon gives him an almost fatherly smile and tells him he's allowed to look around as soon as they finish their shopping.
Charlie follows Brandon, watches as he haggles with the shopkeepers in fluent Romanian and takes note to remember how much of each ingredient he decides to purchase. Brandon seems impressed when Charlie demonstrates a knack for the Undetectable Extension Charm, and they carry their wares around with little difficulty.
Later, Brandon shows him where the best mamaliga stall can be found, and they warm their stomachs on the sweet porridge with some good hard cheese. Charlie can barely mount his broom and fly back in a straight line, so full of food he is, but he manages somehow, much to Brandon's amusement.
They return to camp just as dusk is about to settle in, and Charlie helps Brandon unpack their food and materials and store them in their proper places. Brandon asks him how his time at the camp has been so far, and though he tries hard to stem it, Charlie's enthusiasm seeps through regardless.
Good, Brandon says. Because tomorrow I reckon you're ready to meet the dragons.
Word count points: 818/30 = 27 pts
Bonus points: 10 pts
Total word count points: 46 + 55 + 27 = 128 125 points
Bonus points: 10 + 10 + 10 = 30
Total points: 155 pts for Ravenclaw!