Letters to someone that I think I'd like to know

[Lola Mason]

Sitting alone in her dorm room looking out the window Lola had a thought of someone that she hadn't thought of in quite sometime...Ruki. It was the day after her sixteenth birthday and she was thinking about the time she'd spent here at school for the last five years. The Ravenclaw had very few friends and of those she did have none of them were what you would consider close. It wasn't as if she hadn't tried to put herself out there and be social, but at times it made her uneasy. Ruki had really been the only person who'd ever seemed to take a real interest in her and try to at least get to know her, but he was gone now and she hadn't heard so much as a word from him. Maybe there will be others eventually she thought to herself as she continued to stare out the window. As Lola thought this another face popped into her head. One that she hadn't seen in over a year and hadn't talked to in several months. Daniel Aragorn. She'd met him in Brightstone last year and they'd written each other every few months since then, but it had been a while since she'd last talked to him. With that in mind she grabbed a piece of parchment and a pen and wrote a letter to the boy that she'd almost seemed to have forgotten.

Daniel,

Don't know if you've forgotten about me or not seeing as how it's been a while since we last spoke. How have you been? Anything new or exciting going on in your life? I do hope this letter finds you well.

Hoping to hear from you soon,
Lola

After sealing the letter Lola pulled on her tennis shoes and headed to the owlery. After attaching it to the leg of one of the school owls and sending it on it's way then she headed back to her dorm room to do some studying for her OWL's.

 

[Daniel Aragorn]

HA! I'm a n00b no longer

The days seemed to drag by with nothing making them seem memorable for one Daniel Aragorn. Today he sat inside, sitting in the study, at his desk, like he did every day. Today was a particularly warm day so the tutor had let the sixteen year old boy open the window for some fresh air. Although as the lesson continued he realised this was a bad idea as outside he could hear the birds chirping and the kids playing. He let out a small sigh as his tutor called for a fifteen minute recess. Daniel stood at the window as he looked outside while eating a fresh chocolate browning that his mother had made with a glass of cold cold milk, just what he needed to get him refreshed and ready for more school work after recess.

As he stared outside he saw an unfamiliar owl fly towards the open window, standing aside he let the owl enter. Taking the letter to see who it was for he was surprised to see that it had been addressed to him. No one ever wrote him letters so this was a surprise to him, opening it he quickly became unconfused and very happy. Reading the short but sweet letter from Lola Mason, a girl he had met just over a year now when he moved to New Zealand. He felt bad as he read the letter that he hadn't wrote in so long, but he'd make up for that now. Sitting back now he took some of his spare parchment and began to write his letter.

Dear Lola,

I'm sooo sorry for having left our correspondence fail so much over the past few months but my parents have become a lot more stricter than usual with my tutoring and studying hours. What with me having to take my OWLs in a matter of months my parents have decided that I need to try harder, I fear I may never please them with the amount of work I do but I don't complain because I know how important it is for them that I do well in my exams.

I certainly haven't forgotten about you, I still have your previous letters in my room, I've been meaning to write but as I said, I've been busy even though that isn't a proper excuse. Am I forgiven? Yes, apart from everything I have been doing well. Unfortunately the life of a home schooled kid can get very boring so nothing exciting I'm afraid.

How have you been? I'm sure the life in Hogwarts must be much more exciting than it is here. Oh! And if I'm not mistaken you've recently turned 16? Congratulations. I feel that I should get you something so I'm going to attach some of mother's freshly baked chocolate brownies, they are the best things in the World. Hope you enjoy them.

Write back soon,
Daniel

Sealing up the letter he grabbed a few more of the brownies and put them into a container for the owl to take back to Lola. Once the owl had everything Daniel sent it off and, unfortunately, went back to his studying.

 

[Lola Mason]

Nah...you're still a n00b

As usual Lola had given up on studying, deciding that playing around with a few chords on her guitar would be a better idea than trying to prep for the OWLs which were fast approaching. For a Ravenclaw she showed a great lack in her scholastic abilities. She was very intelligent she just didn't apply herself to her studies the way her fellow housemates did. The sixteen year old always felt that the sorting hat had gotten her house wrong...she was sure she belonged in Hufflepuff.

Strumming along she closed her eyes and hummed a low tune hoping that maybe inspiration would strike and she'd actually manage to write something today. After a while she heard a light tapping on her bedroom window and when she looked up she saw the owl she'd sent out the day before with a letter and a small package. Lola grinned as she opened the latch and let the bird inside. Sure enough it was from Daniel. First she opened the letter and read it. Opening the container she sniffed at the brownies and then picked one up and popped a bite into her mouth. He was right, they were the best in the world. Lola grabbed a piece of parchment and a pen and started on her reply back to him.

Dear Daniel,

Thanks so much for the brownies...you totally had it correct when you said they were the best things in the world. They are absolutely fantastic. I loved them. I'll probably have to hide the rest of them from my roommates. They were definitely the best thing I got for my birthday this year.

Don't worry too much about having not written me for a while. I guess the mail works two ways seeing as I didn't exactly do the best of job keeping in touch either. Sorry about that. I understand about trying to work hard for your OWLs...these are major exams for us. Just try to have some fun for yourself and remember you can't keep everyone happy all the time. Try to do something just for you every now and then.

Hogwarts life isn't always as much fun as it seems. You would think that after being here for 5 years that I'd know every single secret passageway and short cut there is to know about this place, but not even close. I could probably be here for another 5 years and still get lost trying to find my way around. I have about as much sense of direction as my cousin does...strange to think that she actually plays professional quidditch with that horrible sense of direction.

Goodness me I'm rambling on about nothing it seems and I'm sure you have more studying to do as do I so I should probably wrap this up and get around to attempting to study again. I hope this finds you doing well and I hope to hear from you again soon.

Your friend,
Lola

With the first genuine smile that she'd had in a good long while spread across her face the brunette sealed up the letter and attached it to the owl. After giving the bird a treat she sent it on it's way and went back to her music, knowing full and well that it would serve her better to pop open the books she had strewn across her bed.

 

[Daniel Aragorn]

Daniel had finally gotten an afternoon off as his private tutor seemed to have some family issues which meant he couldn’t come today and they had no back ups. Although he wasn’t completely off the hook, his parents had decided to step in and try to teach him somethings which turned out to be completely useless as they knew nothing about magic, so instead they opted to supervise him as he did some independent study. Finally his parents had to leave the house for a little bit so he got some free time, this was the time he relished as he was able to do whatever he wanted. He didn’t mind studying but he was like every other normal teenager and liked to have some free time. As he was fixing himself a snack he heard a tapping at the window and saw a familiar owl. With a smile on his face as he had an idea who it was, he opened the window and took the letter from the owl. He gave the owl some treats as he read the letter and began to reply to it.

Dear Lola,

Well I’m glad you liked them, it was the least I could do for your birthday and to make up for not writing in so long. How was the rest of your birthday, by the way? Did you do anything nice with your friends? If your roommates would like some I’m sure mum could make a few more, she’d just be happy to know that I have a friend to actually send them too.

Well, as long as you forgive me then I forgive you. I think that we’re making a good start though on fixing that little problem though. Ew! Don’t remind me about the OWLs, mum and dad have me working on subjects everyday. Sometimes I like being home-schooled but other times it so much harder as I have my parents there all the time. Anyway I wish it was as simple as just having fun. To be honest, my parents are out at work right now and my tutor had to back out of lessons today so I have the house to myself for a few hours, this is the most fun I’ve had in a long time.

Hogwarts sounds like fun! I’m sure you know the place well enough though, or do you still get lost on your way to class – if so, then you should be worry. Haha. Wow! I didn’t know you had a cousin in Professional Quidditch. Who is she? Quidditch is probably the only fun I do get to have. Sometimes during the summer I’m allowed to fly my old broom away from muggle eyes. Unfortunately I’ve never been to a Professional Game as mum and dad, being muggles and all, can’t exactly go and they won’t let me go by myself. Do you play Quidditch?

Never worry about rambling. I enjoy having something to distract me from my exciting life. Good luck with the studying but I’m sure you won’t need it, you wouldn’t be in Ravenclaw if you weren’t smart enough. Hope you are well.

Looking forward you hearing from you,
Daniel

Daniel smiled as he finished off the letter, laughing as he imagined Lola as if she were talking to him. Attaching the letter back on the owls leg he let it fly off again before enjoying his little bit of peace before his parents came back home.

 

[Lola Mason]

With books open and quill in hand Lola Mason was doing something that she hadn't done in quite a while...she was studying. Her guitar was carefully placed in it's case and propped up in a corner of her dorm room and if truth be told she was dying to pick it up and play it instead of sitting here buried in her studies, but she knew that if she didn't buckle down then she was going to fail her OWLs miserably and that was not something she was ready to face. The brunette had just finished with her Charms notes and was moving on to Herbology when she heard a tapping at her window Lola looked up and practically beamed. Anxiously she jumped up and opened up the window, taking the letter that the owl had with it. Lola had started to look forward to hearing from Daniel and just felt downright giddy whenever she got a new letter from him. She read it over twice and then sat down to make a reply.

Hey Daniel,

The rest of my birthday was fair enough I suppose. You know, decent presents and all. Oh, and I'm sure my roommates would love to have some more of those brownies...they were simply scrumptious. Glad to know that you think of me as a friend

I myself have actually found some motivation and have started studying for those rascally little things myself. I thought they'd have to pry my guitar from my cold dead fingers before I'd actually settle down and study, but I put my big girl knickers on and did the mature grown up Ravenclaw thing to do.

Yeah...who would've known...I have a famous cousin. She plays for the Wimbourne Wasps...Katalina Vanderhol. She plays chaser. I had never been to a quidditch game until I started school and watched the house teams play. My parents are muggles as well, my aunt was the first witch on my side of the family and then I came along so we're the only two I guess. I've gotten to go to a few professional games since Kat started playing, they're actually quite exciting. I personally don't play quidditch and to be honest I'm not much of a flyer either. Maybe I could get you tickets to one of her games when they come to New Zealand to play.

I suppose I should get back to my studies and let you get back as well. Hope you're doing well and I hope to get to hear from you soon.

Your friend,
Lola

Lola took the letter and sealed it before attaching it to the owl's leg. She patted the bird on the head, gave him a treat and then sent him on his way. She gently folded Daniel's letter back up and stuck it in the small box with the rest of the letters that he'd sent her. Grinning she stowed the box back up under her bed and then sat back down at the desk and went back to her Herbology notes.

 

[Daniel Aragorn]

Daniel had took to looking out owls more often now since he and Lola had been in correspondence. He looked forward to hearing from her on a regular basis now and didn’t know why he had left it so long to reply to her previous letters before; it was a really stupid move on his part. Oh well, it was all in the past now as he made sure he was going to reply to her letter whenever he received it so he wouldn’t forget like he had done in the past. Glancing up from his books he peered out of the window to see the familiar owl approaching the house. Getting up on his seat he opened the window and made sure there was a few treats for the owl to nibble on as he read Lola’s letter and made his reply. When he got the letter he showed the owl the treats and began to read his letter before responding.

Dear Lola,

I’m glad to hear that you enjoyed the rest of your birthday, even more so that I know my contribution was the best part haha. I’ll be sure to get mum to make a fresh batch of them soon and send them off, I’ve been meaning to bug her for them anyway as we’re starting to run low here in the house. Of course I think of you as a friend, I don’t have many any really and even though it’s just letters back and forth between, it means a lot to me...and my parents. They are so social, with endless amounts of friends they were starting to think I was anti-social and were getting worried. I told them they were silly.

Oh wow! Lola is studying?! The World must be coming to an end! Haha I’m on kidding but that’s great. I wish you all the luck in the World, Wizarding and Muggle and any other World out there (I’m open to some stuff if you have any theories haha). How are you finding it? I’m so used to studying now it’s almost like second nature to me when doing out revision notes and all that type of stuff...it’s kinda sad actually.

So you play guitar, huh? Are you any good? I’m sure you are. I’d love to hear you play sometime...maybe with the holidays coming up soon we could meet up again...only if you want too that is? I mean, letters are great and all but it’s been over a year almost since I last saw you and I’d love to meet up for a proper chat again sometime.

Ooh Katalina Vanderhol is your cousin?! That’s so cool. The Wimbourne Wasps aren’t my favourite team but they are decent and Katalina is a great player from what I’ve heard. Oh turns out we have more in common than I thought, both coming from muggle parents, except I’m the first with magic blood in my family as far as I know. I quite enjoy Quidditch, it’s something that allows me to be free and forget about everything, I just wish I could play more, maybe if the chance ever showed itself I could give you a few pointers on flying...surprisingly I was a bit of a natural. Wow Lola you would do that for me?! That would be just amazing BUT you would have to come with me...I refuse to go on my own and I think you would be perfect company.

Oh yes, I better get back to my studying (you know it’s really hard to be sarcastic over letter but that was my attempt at it). Looking forward to hearing from you,

Your friend,
Daniel.

Daniel signed off the letter and put it into a fresh envelope. When he sent it off with the owl he suddenly became nervous and anxious about Lola’s reply, he would love to meet up with her again at sometime – he could only hope that she felt the same way.

 

[Lola Mason]

Lola had just sent off an letter to Kat in England as well as a note to Serena telling her to meet her for a walk out by the lake later. Just as Lavender had disappeared into the horizon another bird came into view and at first she wasn't sure, but once the owl got closer the brunette beamed from ear to ear...something she did a lot more of lately. Lola gently grabbed the letter from the bird and placed a few treats out on the window sill for it. Hopping onto her bed she unfolded the letter from Daniel and read it over...twice. Needless to say she was thrilled to know that he wanted to meet up with her again, but she was suddenly nervous about it too. He wanted to hear her play and that was something that she rarely did in front of people. Maybe this would be enough motivation for her to finish a song that she'd been working on for the last few months. Lola grabbed a piece of parchment and a quill and began to pen her response to the boy she'd been getting to know over the last few weeks.

Dear Daniel,

My cousins were surprised to hear that I'd made a new friend as well. I don't really have many friends at all here at school since I pretty much keep to myself. My cousin Serena, Katalina's sister, is really the only person that I even hang out with on a regular basis. So I guess not to worry about being considered anti-social...I'm pretty much in the same boat as you.

Oh you are just so funny aren't you? Haha! It's not so bad once I actually get myself into a routine of doing it everyday. Though I would much rather be playing my guitar or the piano (they have one here in one of the abandoned classrooms) than studying, but I guess that's life and well...sometimes it sucks.

I guess I'm okay...I'm no child prodigy or anything like that, but I can hold my own I suppose. I've been playing since I was 6. My parents got me a guitar for my 6th birthday and I've been playing ever since. And we had a piano in our home so I learned to play that too.

Kat is pretty great. She used to play for the Gryffindor team when she was here at school and got recruited after she graduated. It's pretty cool having a 'celebrity' as a cousin. Haha! I'd like it if you showed me some pointers on flying...though I am giving you fair warning...I'm pretty hopeless when it comes to being up in the air. Of course I'd do that for you. I actually just sent a letter off to Katalina asking if she thought that maybe she could get a set of tickets over the holidays. I'd like it if we went together

Must run for now. Promised to meet my cousin Serena down by the lake to catch up. I can't wait to hear from you again.

Love Your friend,
Lola

PS Of course I'd like to meet up with you again the next time I have a free weekend. And if you're lucky then maybe you might get to hear me play too.

Luckily Lola caught her little slip up at the ending of the letter so she quickly marked through it. She'd probably written it because she'd signed off her letter to Kat in the same fashion...at least that's what she told herself. The Ravenclaw gave the letter to the owl and sent it on it's way. Feeling very nervous all of a sudden, but nervous in a good way.

 

[Daniel Aragorn]

With everyday that Daniel waited for a reply letter from Lola the more and more nervous he got. He didn’t know why he was so nervous about his suggestion to meet up again, she could only say yes or no; he hoped that she would at least say yes. Sure he had only actually met her once but they had kept in decent contact with each other, more so over the past while. He didn’t know why he was so stupid to leave it so long to reply to her letters the last time but he was glad that she had the initiative to write back to him and kick his butt into gear. One day while Daniel was going over some study notes, as the OWLs were creeping closer and closer, he heard a tapping on his window. Looking up he ran to the window, recognising the bird instantly. Letting it in he left the bird beside the pile of treats that he had left for it upon its arrival as he went to read the letter. His heart began to race as he read every word, his smile growing wider until he reached the end when he saw the answer that he had been hoping for. Grabbing some more parchment, ink and a quill he began to write his letter back but not before taking a few breaths so he could calm himself down and that his writing wouldn’t be messy.

Dear Lola,

Well, there’s another thing we have in common, except I don’t get on particularly well with my cousins (I don’t get on with them bad either, we’re just not overly close). I really just keep myself to myself all day everyday as you could probably tell that first day we met, I’m very quiet in real life yet you seemed to break that barrier that only my parents have successfully gotten through over the years – you must be some skilled witch to have those magic powers.

Yeah I agree, once you get into the habit of studying everyday it isn’t so bad but it can get boring doing it every day, count your blessing that you have the opportunity to go off and play your instruments without being forced to get back to studying by your parents. Heck, even if I did get the chance to have a break I don’t even know how to play an instrument – I never got the chance when I was younger. And I’m sure you can play just fine if you’ve been playing for over 10 years, far better than me for sure.

A celebrity as a cousin; that must be great! The closest I have to a celebrity in the family is my Uncle Joe who is the local pie eating champion in my town; it’s embarrassing and funny at the same time. Well the more hopeless the better, no offence, but it’s easier to teach from scratch compared to if you knew a few things already. And you are officially my best friend. I can’t believe you actually did that!! Thank you so much! I’m glad you’d like to go with me, it would be awful boring to go by oneself. If she does get us tickets I’ll have to pay you back some way, anything you name it and it’s yours

Why did you wait until the very end to agree to meeting up with me? Way to keep me in suspense haha! Well whenever you get out of school we could plan a day to meet up, maybe if your cousin gets us tickets we could meet up before the game and catch up? If that sounds good, if not we can plan something else. Also you should definitely take your guitar, it would be my pleasure you hear you play.

Until next time,
Daniel.

Daniel actually couldn’t stop smiling as he wrote the letter, thinking about the time he got to meet up with Lola again. As he attached the letter back on to the owl he actually felt like jumping or dancing, he didn’t know why a simple meeting with a friend was getting him so excited, but he didn’t care.