╭────── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ──────╮
𝐎
August 25th, 1996
Dear Margot,
It's always bittersweet when summer comes to its end. An inevitable melancholy consumes me every time I have to leave my family, and this time I can feel it more than any other summer.
During my first years in Hogwarts, summer holidays were very enjoyable. Although Hogwarts was always a place that fed my old soul, I didn't have any friends. I easily got homesick. I missed my family – and you, of course, Margot.
Things slightly changed during my fourth year, when I started spending more time with Harry and Neville. Please, do not assume I think less of our friendship – I know it irks you when I talk about my friends from Hogwarts. I miss you every day, Margot. But I hope you are happy that I go back to a school that I fully enjoy and that I don't feel lonely in.
Maybe it will be easier to forget there. During the summer I didn't have the strength to talk to any of my friends but now that I'm going back to Hogwarts, I'll have to, want it or not. I consider this both a curse and a blessing; a curse because I dread the moment I will have to fake a smile in front of my friends and a blessing because, if I don't force myself to smile, I doubt I'll ever feel happy again.
But sometimes, I wonder if that's what I truly want. I know myself. If I ever feel happy again, it will be happiness full of guilt.
Tomorrow it's Monday and it's past time I bought my supplies and books for this year. I heard Fred and George recently opened a joke shop that is going really well. Maybe I could find something to accompany the Herbology Encyclopedia I got Neville for his birthday. Of course, his birthday was at the end of July, and although I know he was perfectly satisfied with my birthday card, I want to give him a memorable present when I meet him.
I know what you would say; You're compensating your absence with presents, Ophelia. Yes, I know, Margot. You're right...
Sometimes I stared at the blank page and didn't know what to write to her. I didn't know what I was supposed to be feeling.
...Margot, I feel like I'm letting you down.
I think about all our memories together. Those carefree summer days and ballet sessions. Remember when we begged Mrs Petrova for the keys for the classroom so that we could practice on Sundays? We couldn't get the pointe shoes off, and we bled so much that day but we did manage to nail our triple pirouettes. I miss those days.
Maybe we should meet again and dance all night like the good old times. Would you like that?
I don't want to go to Hogwarts and forget about us...
Sometimes I didn't know what else to write to her. I didn't want to explain my day in too much detail, in fear of looking too deep into my thoughts, so I would enchant the paper and store my memories in a spell. It was easier than writing – and less painful. Now, if I used the right spell and touched the paper, I could see my day right before my eyes.
Just as I was about to wave my wand over the paper and start my 'recording' of my day, I heard a discreet tap on my window. A snowy owl was sitting on the ledge and tapping the glass with its beak. Alaska landed easily on my bed and hissed loudly, her black fur getting fuzzy and her tail standing up warningly. Alaska never liked owls which often created problems between her and Hedwig.
"Ophelia! Dinner is ready!" I heard my mother calling from the kitchen but I could also hear something sizzling in the pan. My mother always did that – she would announce dinner way before it was ready.
I figured I had a few minutes. I took Alaska in my arms and let her outside the room. Since my cat was not very friendly, I had to close the door before opening the window to take the letter off Hedwig's beak and read it.
I must admit, I was not looking forward to this.
Dear Ophelia,
I hope you're well – actually, please write back and confirm you're indeed okay because I'm starting to freak out.
I am with the Weasleys for the last week before Hogwarts and I thought that I would find you here, just like last year. Hermione says she has been sending letters as well but that you hardly ever reply, even though your father told Mr Weasley that you're at home and well. Ron said he passed by the café on his way to the twins' new joke shop one day but didn't see you there. Is everything okay?
In any case, I hope you will answer this time because I have a very practical question. Tomorrow we are all going to Diagon Alley. We really want to see the twins' shop and we thought we should stop by the Coffee Bean at about 3 o'clock in case you would like to come. I hope you do.
We miss you.
Love,
Harry
My heart was racing, my palms were getting clammy and sweat was transferring to the paper. I opened the window wider to let some air inside the room but the mellow summer night didn't have a lot to offer.
Relax. Relax.
The more I said it, the less effective it was. What was I going to say? How was I going to explain to Harry, Hermione, Ron or even Neville why I completely disappeared for two months?
Now my hands were shaking and, shit, I was creasing the paper! I had to stop. The letter dropped from my hands and I involuntarily threw my head back, thinking it would help with my breathing.
I tried concentrating on something small in my room. I think the first thing I saw in front of me was a quill, so I tried only looking at the feather until the bad thoughts could take a step back. When I could breathe freely again, I flipped Harry's letter over and scribbled down my hasty answer, accepting the invitation. I let Hedwig hold the letter in her beak and watched the owl vanish towards the west.
I heard the front door open and then shut again. Dad came back from the Ministry and I could hear him talking about some awful news to Mum. I overheard a newspaper slamming on the counter. Another hard day of work.
"Ophelia!"
"Coming, Mum!"
Mum had put some classical music on the record player. She had just discovered some old vinyl in the attic and was determined to find which one was her favourite before summer was out. She had also started cleaning our library, the one that was taking most of the wall behind the fireplace, and so the whole house was taken over by books. Of course, she did it in a very muggle way, so it would take half a week more. Maybe I should stay up all night and try to sort all those books in genres – since that was a better option than lying in bed, sleepless as always.
And with that thought, I was calm again.
When I walked downstairs and sat myself at the dinner table, I noticed Dad's cloudy look.
"Oh, shoot, I forgot the water!" Mum shot up, a second after settling in her seat. She was still wearing her apron and seemed tired from her day at the coffee shop.
"I'll fetch some!" said Dad and whipped out his wand.
"No! Let me!" I said.
Swish and flick – a bottle of water flew from the kitchen counter straight to my hand. I then flicked my wand again and made the bottle levitate over the glasses, filling them up.
Mum clapped her hands excitedly. Although she had lived with a wizard half her life, it always amazed her to see me doing magic. Maybe it was because she had gotten used to me without a wand for the better part of a decade.
"You're getting good with the nonverbals. Only don't abuse magic! You know you're supposed to use it only for educational reasons outside of Hogwarts," said Dad strictly.
"Mastering a nonverbal spell is an educational reason. The Ministry can fight me in this one!"
"Cheater!" said Mum sunnily.
In any other case, performing magic in front of a muggle would be illegal. Thankfully, that didn't count for those married to a witch or wizard and the parents of magical children, otherwise, I would be in deep trouble at the moment.
Dad quickly returned to his silent concerns.
"Harry sent me a letter. We are all going to Diagon Alley tomorrow to get our books for the new year," I announced, sure they would have no problem with me meeting my friends tomorrow. The café was only a minute away from the Leaky Cauldron after all and they often let me wander alone nearby. "Of course, I'll help at the café in the morning."
On Mondays, Linus, our helpful barista, started his shift at 12, so I usually filled in his place, while Mum worked on baking at the back of the shop. I usually always stayed for a bit longer, just because of the lack of things to do during a lazy summer.
"Oh-oh! Can I come? I will be done with baking before noon and I bet Linus can handle the shop for a couple of hours," said Mum cheerily. Although Mum had been hopping back and forth between the magical and the muggle world for almost twenty years, it never ceased to excite her when she had the chance to fully immerse herself into our world. Maybe it made her feel more like a witch at heart.
"Mum..." I said unexcited. "I don't think anyone's parents are going to be with us tomorrow. We are 16 after all..." I said hesitantly. It pained me to deny her a pleasure so pure and innocent.
"Oh, alright..." she said, trying to hide her disappointment.
Dad still had the newspaper at the corner of the table and was absorbed in his reading while cutting his meat.
"Phin." Mum awakened him.
"Sorry, what were we talking about?" he said, throwing looks between us, still lost in his thoughts.
"No newspaper during dinner," Mum reminded him. It was Dad's habit to never do just one thing at a time. If he was eating, he had to be reading something at the same time; if he was drinking his morning coffee, he had to be occupied with reading the news. He quickly obliged with an honest smile and set the newspaper aside.
"Everything alright, Dad?"
"Yes, yes. Everything's alright..." he said. He put a hand against his forehead so as to indicate a headache.
"Did you read something on the news?" I asked.
"Please, Ophelia. It's nothing you should worry about," he said and breathed out.
"Phin. I think we should share this with Ophelia," said Mum. Dad gave her a discreet look of disapproval that honestly came out funny instead of scary. Dad was not an intimidating man. Mum looked back unyieldingly. "She can't leave without us talking to her..." she added.
Although it might work in the opposite way in most families, Dad was always the one who preferred looking away from a problem, if it meant not troubling me. Mum on the other hand liked to be more straightforward with the harsh reality we were facing.
"Alright then..." he said. "Apparently, there have been some abductions. Ever since You Know Who's return became common knowledge, the Death Eaters have been becoming more aggressive."
"Who got abducted? Not anyone we know, of course."
"No. No. It was a married couple and a newborn. It was a muggle couple but the baby girl was registered as a witch under the Ministry. A muggle-born. We have no idea about their whereabouts," Dad continued.
"Dear God, help them..." muttered Mum and shook her head.
"Well, if the Death Eaters got them, there is not much hope," said Dad with a desperate shake of his head. "It's a tragedy. And of course, the situation today at the Ministry was hectic. We have all sorts of problems with the Muggle Prime Minister ever since the terror attack at the Millennial Bridge and with the press..."
I was sure, however, that this was not the biggest cause of concern for either Mum or Dad. After all, we heard news of abductions all the time throughout the summer and, as tragic as it was, it was nothing out of the ordinary for times like these.
"What does this mean about us?"
My eyes were fixed on Dad's.
"So far, it seems we are safe. But things could turn sour at any second. We talked with your mum last night," he said, catching a glimpse of my mother and holding her hand across the table, "and we agreed that we have to be ready for everything."
I nodded slowly and tried to breathe normally.
"We might have to go into hiding, Ophelia," added Mum, always jumping straight into the core of issues.
I was there, seeing it all as it was happening. I was there when Harry looked at me terrified and told me You Know Who was back. I had believed him at once when he said Cedric was killed before his own eyes. I had cried. I was there to see him fighting against all odds when no one believed him. I had fought with Dumbledore's Army next to Harry, Hermione, Ron and Neville, despite the snobby eyes of those who didn't want a Slytherin in the Room of Requirement and the high chances of getting expelled. I had seen Harry coming back from the Ministry, in tears, when he lost his godfather a few months ago.
Yet the war had never felt closer to home. My own parents had been caught in it. Suddenly I was more terrified than when I had seen Umbridge lean over my desk to threaten me by saying that, if I didn't tell her everything I knew about my Gryffindor friends, my father would lose his job at the Ministry within a week.
I spread my hands across the table and held my parents' hands so firmly, that I had to hold myself back from hurting them.
"Of course, I talked with Albus after our meeting with the Order last Saturday. We agreed that, if need be, he will let you out of Hogwarts and into hiding with us."
"Is there anything you want me to do? Any way I can help?" I said.
"If you could stay our sassy, funny daughter, that would be perfect," said Mum with a warm smile.
"We know it was a rough summer, swan queen..." said Dad with a crooked smile. "We don't want to burden you with more worries. After all, this is an option we might not ever have to open. Focus on your studies – focus on yourself – and we will take care of the rest."
...I am starting to reminisce about the easy, old times of my first years in Hogwarts – not much care in the world. I am watching the world getting darker, Margot, and I am not sure if we are anywhere near the end. It feels more like the beginning.
See you soon,
Ophelia
╰────── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ──────╯