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Sunday 15th November
Dear Albus,
I’m sending this right after your dad and I flooed back home so it should reach you at Hogwarts tomorrow. Will you write back straight away and let me know how your first night back went? We don’t need a long letter, but I know your dad is bound to worry himself sick over whether you’re alright. I hope Scorpius is doing okay too. I am sorry to have kept the two of you apart for so long with just those couple of visits, but after we got back from Godric’s Hollow I think we all needed a couple of weeks to figure some things out and recover.
Give my love to James and Lily next time you see them of course, and tell James that if he’s already eaten all those chocolate frogs your Uncle Ron sent him last week and not saved you any, then he will officially be my least favourite child. I’ll write you a proper letter soon, my love.
All my love,
Mum
Sunday 15th November
Draco,
Just a note to let you know Albus is back at Hogwarts today, Harry and I dropped him off with Minerva and she mentioned that you’d brought Scorpius back yesterday too. How’s he doing? Albus has been very quiet but insisted he was ready to be back at school. I’ve spoken to him a few times about Delphi and what happened but I still don’t feel like I’ve had the full story.
He did tell me – after a few bad nights – that Delphi hurt Scorpius, tortured him to threaten Albus. I really, truly cannot apologise enough, Draco. I know Scorpius went along with Albus’s scheme because he trusted him and Harry and I will accept full responsibility for that. I’m so sorry Scorpius had to suffer and I hope you know that if he or you ever need to get away from the Manor for a few days or just need to talk, you can always get in touch.
Ginny
Monday 16th November
Dear Mum,
I’m back in the dormitory now and Scorpius is here, we’re both fine. Thanks for coming to drop me off. It was nice to be at home for a while but I think it will be good to be back at school now and stay busy, and I’ve got quite a bit to catch up on. My first lesson tomorrow is double herbology with Professor Longbottom so at least that will be a good start to the day. I’ll tell him you said hi.
Scorpius is asking me to say hi from him to you as well.
Sorry, I got distracted and I’m writing the rest of this in the morning – I meant to owl this yesterday night but I just got your owl this morning so I guess it’s better we didn’t send both letters at the same time anyway. First night back was fine although I think Scorpius was dreaming about Godric’s Hollow. I’ll try and ask James about the chocolate frogs at dinner.
Albus
Monday 16th November
Ginny,
Thank you for the note. Scorpius is indeed back at Hogwarts and I heard from him this morning to say that he was well and glad to have Albus back. I’m not going to pretend I haven’t struggled with the way Scorpius has been endangered as a result of your son’s actions but whatever my personal feelings on the situation, the fact remains that a powerful dark witch manipulated them both and that is not something I expect Albus to answer for. I appreciate your offer and will keep it in mind in the future.
Please also pass my thanks to Harry for the statement on Delphini and her true parentage which I saw in the Prophet yesterday. I can only hope this will put an end to that rumour once and for all.
Regards,
Draco
Tuesday 17th November
Dear Dad,
I had my first day back in lessons properly today and it went pretty well, I got two questions right in Professor Longbottom’s quiz about flutterby bushes and me and Albus made a good Shrinking Solution in Potions this afternoon too. We had lunch in the library instead of the hall because we didn’t really want to be around everyone else but maybe we’ll go in tomorrow. I saw Madam Pince and she said she was glad to see me back and also that she had got a second edition of King of Serpents which she has been saving for me, that’s the one about basilisks that she told me about last year! I’m going to go and pick it up on Saturday morning because I know if I get it before then I’ll just read the whole thing straight away instead of doing my homework.
I haven’t spoken much to the others in the dormitory apart from Albus of course, but they said hello and asked if I was alright. Albus seems okay but he’s really quiet, I’m not sure if he wants to talk about Delphi and everything yet so I don’t think I’m going to ask him about it. When I was at his house for that morning the other week he talked really briefly about watching the Potters (Lily and James Sr) die again like we all saw in Godric’s Hollow so I think that might still be bothering him. I still think about that too obviously but I suppose because they weren’t my grandparents then it’s not quite so bad.
Are you doing okay? Did you make a start on grandfather’s old library yet? I think you said that was the next room you wanted to sort out. It’s good that you’re going through all that stuff and getting rid of the things we don’t need or want. It reminds me of that year after grandfather and grandmother moved out when you and mum did that big spring clean and I got to help sometimes, although thinking about it now I was quite little so I imagine I probably got in the way more than I helped!
I don’t think I have very much else to update on so I’ll just sign off, but I’ll write again soon.
Love,
Scorpius
Thursday 19th November
Dear Scorpius,
Thank you for the update, I’m glad that your first day back went well. Well done on your flutterby bush questions and your Shrinking Solution, and I hope King of Serpents is as interesting as it sounds.
It’s been quiet here since you left, but I’ve been cataloguing more of your grandfather’s things (yes, I have started on the library) and I went over to the Ministry yesterday to speak to one of their archivists about some bits and pieces whose origins I was unsure of. There are hundreds of books but even more antiques, artefacts, totems, and so on. Sometimes I feel I should be opening a museum with all the historical objects we have around the house, although I’m not sure what your mum would have made of that.
It’s good to hear that Albus is doing okay but I do want to mention him briefly. Scorpius – I know that the two of you are close friends and I am glad that you each have someone for support, but you must understand that his recent actions put you in significant danger. I will not blame Albus for Delphi’s plot and I’m sure he never intended for any of those events to happen. That said, I must urge you to exercise the utmost caution and sensibility if he asks you to take part in any plan like that again. I’m proud of how you managed to stand up against Delphi and the wits you showed in foiling her plan but that does not mean you are ready to take on the world just yet. Remember that I know Harry Potter much better than you, and although you have told me plenty of times how different Albus is from his father, I can see certain similarities in the paths they chose for themselves. Please do not endanger yourself for the sake of that family.
Apologies for the seriousness of this letter. This has been playing on my mind for the past few days since you left and I felt it would have been remiss of me to say nothing on the subject. You are my greatest achievement and you know that I love you very much.
Dad
Saturday 21st November
Hi Mum & Dad,
Albus update as promised: saw him a couple of times yesterday and he said lessons were going okay, he had a fair bit of homework but should be able to catch up this weekend (he and Scorpius were going to do study sessions together obviously) and I gave him three of the chocolate frogs from Uncle Ron so THERE I didn’t eat them all. Think he seems alright, not quite himself but definitely not as bad as he was right after Godric’s Hollow.
As for your favourite child, Gryffindor absolutely smashed Hufflepuff in our match this afternoon so I have officially decided to forgo all my homework for the rest of the school year and focus on quidditch because let’s be honest, it’s just a better choice for everyone involved. Please write to McGonagall and let her know I’m excused from all my classes, cheers.
Will write again next week but earlier if anything happens with Al.
James
Sunday 22nd November
Dear Albus,
Hope your first week back has gone alright. How are lessons going, is there lots to catch up on? If there’s any work we can help out with to make sure you don’t get behind then just let us know, although you’ll have Scorpius for that too I suppose! I bet he’s glad to be back surrounded by schoolwork and books.
We had a letter from James yesterday where he wrote that he’d given you three chocolate frogs but we suspect this may be an embellishment of the truth. Let us know how many he actually gave you and we’ll send a few more if you like.
We’ve both been busy this week – your Dad with a couple of big cases and me with a round of interviews for the Harpies where they’re profiling some of their ‘all-stars’. We’re going to try and repaint the kitchen at the weekend too although at this rate we’re both so tired that we’ll probably end up sleeping half the time and then just watching telly.
How are you feeling more generally? I know that you can’t expect to feel as though nothing has happened right away but I hope that being back at school is helping you be a bit less shaken. It was very difficult seeing you so upset for that first week at home especially so please let me know if you’re still struggling.
All my love,
Mum
Monday 23rd November
Dear Dad,
I got full marks on my Divination chart project today! I was the only one in the class to get full marks which is really nice actually because I don’t think I’ve ever come top by myself in Divination before. Albus was only a couple of marks off the top score too. I spent Sunday afternoon reading King of Serpents and then I went over to the library to take it back and talked to Madam Pince about it for a while. She said she remembered when the basilisk hurt all those students back when you were at school and it made everything in the book seem a lot more real, especially since one of them was Albus’s mum.
I have been thinking about what you wrote last week and I understand what you mean but I really don’t think you need to be worried. Albus is my best friend and he would never do anything to put me or anyone else in danger. What happened with Delphi was as much my fault as his and I know he feels terrible about it and probably will forever, because it’s Albus and you know how he keeps everything in his head that way. I think that after everything that happened I can see more ways he is similar to his dad too, but I think he just needs to have good friends and family who can be there when he needs help or wants to talk through decisions. I want to be there for him all the time because I know he will be for me. I’ll still remember what you said though and I’ll try and stand up for myself more if I’m ever in dangerous situations again.
Love,
Scorpius
Wednesday 25th November
Dear Mum,
Thanks for the letter. James actually did give me three chocolate frogs so you don’t need to be mad at him. Although I did see him trying to dye Lily’s pygmy puff green with some gurdyroot paste he must have nicked from Potions so you could maybe tell him off for that. I’m doing okay with homework, Scorpius has helped me catch up with most things, he’s so clever that it’s been a bit easier for him and he enjoys all the work so much anyway.
I’m doing alright, I am trying to pay proper attention in lessons and stuff but I am still thinking about everything a lot. I feel bad that I hurt so many people over something so stupid, and that I made you and dad so worried. I’m fine though and Scorp is being really nice and keeps asking me to play exploding snap and things so that’s fun.
I’ve got a Charms essay to do so I should probably sign off. Hope you and dad managed to do the kitchen painting. When are the Harpies interviews going to come out?
Albus
Thursday 26th November
Dear Dad,
I’m sorry for writing out of turn and so soon after my other letter but it’s night-time and I needed to write to someone because I can’t really sleep. Everyone else is sleeping but I was dreaming again and woke up and I’m writing in bed with just my wand for light so sorry if this is really shaky and difficult to read. Sometimes I wake Albus up when I have dreams like this but he’s been sleeping really badly since we got back and I don’t want to disturb him.
I was dreaming about the other world and about Godric’s Hollow and I thought you and Albus were dead and I had to watch you die, and then mum was there but actually not there when I tried to hug her and then it was Delphi instead. I don’t really want to go back to sleep. What do you think would have happened if I’d stayed in the dark world? And do you think we should have tried to save Lily and James? Maybe there was a way we could have saved them and still kept everything okay and then Albus wouldn’t have had to grow up without his grandparents and his dad wouldn’t have had to watch them die.
I think I’m rambling, I’m sorry, I will try to get back to sleep. I miss you dad and I love you so much.
Scorpius
Friday 27th November
Dear Albus,
Mum and Dad here. We did some of the kitchen painting this weekend and then got bored so it’s half blue and half orange at the moment, oops. We’re going to try and get it done for Christmas! The Harpies interviews aren’t out until the New Year but your grandma has already requested 20 additional copies so if you want to read it, there will be plenty around.
There are a couple of things we have been discussing this week which we wanted to write to you about, Al. We should probably have talked about these while you were staying here at home but we hadn’t quite figured out what to say then.
The first is that we want you to know that we don’t blame you in any way for what happened with Delphi. We know we reacted harshly at the beginning when we didn’t understand the full situation, but now we can see that she had a very powerful influence on a lot of people and that you and Scorpius were just a small part of a plan she had been concocting for a very long time. We don’t want you to feel guilty about any of the things that happened because nobody is holding you responsible.
Second, we spoke to Professor McGonagall and she has agreed that if you need to speak to someone other than us about any worries or problems you have, you can go to see her. She also mentioned that the new nurse who has started working with Madam Pomfrey this year (Nurse Finch? We can’t quite remember his name) is trained to provide counselling and support for students too so if you find that your sleep is getting worse or you are feeling unhappy, please let somebody know. We don’t expect you to share everything with us if you don’t feel comfortable doing that, but we would like to know that you are taking care of yourself.
Thirdly, it’s only three weeks now until the Christmas holidays. We are hoping you will want to come home for Christmas but we were thinking that perhaps it might be best if we didn’t have all the Weasley side of the family to stay for the full week this year, perhaps just Christmas and Boxing Day – give ourselves a bit of peace and quiet? What do you think? Of course we still want to see them all and celebrate but we’re not sure that having them all to stay for a longer time would be a brilliant idea.
Finally (and you should already know this), we love you very much Albus. We always have and we always will.
Love,
Mum & Dad
Friday 27th November
Dear Scorpius,
You don’t need to apologise for owling me, I would much rather know when something like this happens. How are you doing now? Are you having these dreams regularly?
You know that I have no memory of that other world so I can’t give you answers but please try to remember that it is just that – an ‘other’ world. It has no bearing on what has happened here in the real past. You mustn’t dwell on things like whether history could have been different, you will drive yourself mad. Albus has always known how his grandparents died and although it is certainly very sad, he and his father must make their own peace with that and should not be involving you.
Would you prefer to come home again? I know it’s only a few weeks until Christmas but I could speak to Professor McGonagall and ask for you to be excused. I’m sure you wouldn’t have a problem keeping up with your work.
Let me know.
Dad
Sunday 29th November
Dear Mum & Dad
I read all the stuff you wrote and I’ll think about it all. I do think that some of what happened with Delphi is definitely my fault and especially because I was the one who persuaded Scorpius to come too and that ended up with him getting hurt and tortured. And some of the other stuff too.
I don’t know about going to see Professor McGonagall but I saw Nurse Finch the other week because he came to speak to all the Slytherins in the common room together and he does seem quite nice. I don’t know if it would really help to talk about anything though because it’s all happened now anyway and is in the past.
Writing this bit the next day sorry – I fell asleep last night but then Scorpius was up half the night again so now it’s lunchtime and I only just got up. This time I only found him when I got up at about 3am and he said he’d been awake for hours but he didn’t want to disturb anyone else. He’s such an idiot sometimes because he should know that when he gets panicked like that, it’s better for him to just wake me and then I can sit with him for a bit and he’ll usually be alright.
Anyway about Christmas I think I agree about not having everyone to stay for the whole week, obviously they are family but they are kind of loud all the time. Maybe we could have Scorpius to stay for a night or two though? I don’t think his dad was going to do much for Christmas or New Year and he might be lonely. I worry about him.
Albus