Letter home.

[Hollie Ridley]

Hollie made her way quickly to the Owlery, with an urgent letter in hand. She really needed to tell her family about the current events at Hogwarts, and was aware that it was getting late. She should return to the common room soon.

Reaching the owlery, she sought out her owl and tied a small piece of parchment to his leg. It read:

Dear dad and co,
I have loads to tell you. Can't write much, sorry, because time is short at the moment, but it seems that the Death Eaters (bad people) are on the move again. Our headmistress, Professor Barker, has been kidnapped by a bunch of them. The TWT has been cancelled, which is a great disappointment for my friend, Hilary, who was a participant. You probs have no idea what I'm going on about, but I'll explain in good time.
Don't worry about me, I'm perfectly safe.
Send my love around the family,
love Hollie x

PS how's life at home?

She waited until her owl had flown into the distance, and then headed back, praying that the letter would arrive safely.

 

[Sam Ridley]

Sam read the letter shakily and took it to his bedroom where he scribbled a reply.

Dear Hollie,

Woah sounds tough. Will be thinking and praying, Madi is especially worried. Dad wants you to come home. Will you? It doesn't sound safe out there, and especially after what happened when... well, you know what I mean.
A lot to tell you. It's a biggie:
Mum left.
That's right. You read it properly. Dad took what you said at Christmas into account and made an effort to speak to her about it - the affairs. It was awful - I've never heard him yell so loud. And mum just looked at him, and smiled. Yes, smiled. Her wicked grin spread across her face and she said, all 'sweetly',
"Richard, I agree, it's not tolerable. Therefore I shall move out, and take whichever children wish to come with me, and go to live with Henry."
Guess I found out one thing. The b*****d's name is Henry. Great, stepfather to be.
So Shelby and Nikki went with mum, which has whittled us down to four, without you here. Madi's very subdued, but not because of mum. Dad's awfully upset, but he's coping well. I reckon he knew they were never gonna last, ever since she started spending the hundreds.
Bad thing is, mum's campaining to keep us - all of us. She wants all of her seven 'precious' children to live with her. Yeah, right. I'll be 18 next year - she can't force me. And dad's a respected man; they wouldn't do that to him. He's still distraught about Shelby and Nikki, but he said he couldn't make them live with him.

The divorce papers come in a week. Dad's gonna sign them straight away - he wants it over with. I know you'll be upset, but it's all for the best, right? And it makes you the eldest female in our household

Write back soon Hollie, I need comforting. We all love you lots, and Dad will be in touch soon.
Love you so much, and God bless
Take care,

Sam xx

PS sorry to be bearer of bad news

he had written more than intended, but felt he needed to give Hollie a good insight into the situation. he smiled at the owl, and stroked her. Then he tied the letter to her leg - he was getting good at that now - and sent her on her way.
"Reach her safely," he whispered, watching from the window.

 

[Hollie Ridley]

Hollie smiled happily as she wandered to the owlery the next morning. She had enjoyed a good night's rest, and was going to check if Snowie had returned the enormous flight.

Reaching the owlery, she was delighted to discover her owl perched on one of the many ledges, waiting for her wide-eyed and expectantly. Laughing, Hollie jogged over and provided the owl with a few owl treats, as well as some left overs from breakfast. Surely breadcrumbs couldn't hurt?

As Snowie gobbled the food down, Hollie gently untied the scroll from his leg eagerly. Opening it, she saw it was from Sam.

*******************​

Hollie couldn't move. Her whole body was numb after reading the letter. She couldn't believe it. She had always known of her mother's disloyalty to the family, but it was for her dad that her heart cried out.
So, that was the ugly truth then. Her mother had left. Hollie sighed. In a way, it was a relief; she had never got on with her mother, but nevertheless, a mother is an important figure in a girl's life. As for Shelby and Nikki... well, their presences wouldn't be missed for the time being, but in the long run... Hollie couldn't imagine missing the two sisters who had taunted her, but she knew she probably would. Her mind strayed to Madi, the youngest of the Ridley children, and how she would be coping. Well, according to Sam's letter, not very well. She sighed again, deeply. What wouldn't she give to be with them all right now?

As she made her way down the owlery steps, Hollie suddenly thought of this so-called Henry person. She shuddered at the thought of a stepfather, someone to get her mother stoned and someone who would no doubt hate Diana's kids, including Shelby and Nikki. No matter how little Hollie liked her sisters, she couldn't help but feel sorry for them, living with an unknown stranger. She would usually have thought well of a stepfather - her friend Sammy had one and he was awesome - but something told her that anyone whom her mother chose over her hero-worshipped father was not desirable.