𝐇𝐈𝐒 𝐃𝐈𝐑𝐓𝐘 𝐋𝐈𝐓𝐓𝐋𝐄 𝐒𝐄𝐂𝐑𝐄𝐓| 𝐃𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐨 𝐌𝐚𝐥𝐟𝐨𝐲✔️

𝐓𝐖𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐘𝐓𝐇𝐑𝐄𝐄|𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐆𝐎𝐎𝐃 𝐎𝐅 𝐔𝐒

MARA WILLIAMS

The scent of jam tarts and the flutter of a thousand white wings announced the arrival of the weekend.
Owls swept down upon the great hall like a swarm of pale ghosts, dropping letters, parcels and presents onto the tables below.

An old Barn owl dropped a letter sealed with a red crest to Dean Thomas' plate, narrowly avoiding his half eaten bowl of cornflakes. The boy opened it with a sigh, "At least it's not a howler..."

Parvati let out a small screech as Ron Weasley's owl dropped a dead mouse with a clatter of silverware onto the table between them and half of Gryffindor burst out in hysterics as Ron's face glowed almost as red as his hair. "Pigwigeon!"

I was too busy watching to absolute shit show before me that it took me a while to notice the letter that had landed before me. The distinct hand writing read, To My Darling Mara.
Setting aside my toast I peeled open the emerald wax that sealed the envelope, and it almost seemed to shimmer with a magical kind of iridescence beneath the candle light of the hall.
It smelled sickly sweet, like old flowers and books and fur. Unmistakably the godawful stench of my great aunts horrid perfume. I practically had to hold my nose as I read.

My Dearest Mara,

The house is hollow without you here and as are our hearts, my darling little Beastie has been inconsolable at your leaving, he spends most of his days in your room, staring at your empty bed.

I would have thought that you'd at least have the decency to send an owl by now, but I'll assume you've had trouble finding one, does the school not provide them for its students?
-You wouldn't have had these issues if you'd have just bought an owl like I told you to rather than shelling out for that useless rodent, after all what purpose does it serve other than destroying my priceless and irreplaceable mink fur coat, given to me by the late Prince of Naveer in the 1930's you know!

I've heard rumours from that old hag next door that there will be a another Yule ball held at Hogwarts this year due to the successes of the previous. Do not fret, I will send you a gown, I still have your second cousin Maude's wedding dress in storage from years ago so I will send it to the tailors to have it adjusted.
The ball supposedly won't be held until the very end of the year as opposed to the traditional Christmas Eve frivolities so you have plenty of time to loose the weight you've no doubt piled on during your brief time at Hogwarts, you never were able to resist a bottomless banquet.

I also hear that Durmstrang and Beauxbâtons will be joining Hogwarts once more, so you must use this opportunity to beg Viktor for his forgiveness, and if you're lucky he may even consider take you back. Please at least try, as he was so very handsome and noble too! Marry into fame like his and you'll retrieve the family name from the gutters your father has thrown us in.
Do it for the good of our name. For the good of us.

Sincerely,
-Great Aunt Mathilda

My mouth ran dry, but I couldn't linger on the contents of the letter for too long with the commotion going on besides me.

"Woah look someone's got a broom!" Cried a third year from the table behind us, and I glanced up to see a surly looking eagle owl swooping through the halls, with what was very obviously a broom wrapped in brown paper held tightly in its sharp talons.

"Who do you recon it's for?" Frowned Seamus, and Deane gave a half hearted shrug in response, too busy rereading his letter to look up, so he practically fell out of his seat when the huge package thumped down in the centre of us all. "What the..."

"It's probably for Harry." Said Parvati which caused Ron to scoff, "Don't be silly, Harry already has the latest broom, why on earth would he need another?"