News from a not so old friend

[Hilary Grace]

Hilary had been sitting at breakfast when a mildly familiar owl flew down and almost dropped a letter into her yogurt and fruit. "Silly bird" Hilary muttered jokingly before giving the owl a cluster of oatmeal and removing the letter from its leg. The writing seemed familiar and Hilary didn't know why, it wasn't her mother's graceful cursive and she hadn't received a letter from anyone else for a long while. Wiping her hands off on her robes she took her butter knife and slit open the envelope. Instantly a smile broke across her face as she read.

HILARY GRACE,

I miss you soooo much! I haven’t seen or written to you in ages, and I do apologize. Time flies by way too quickly and I can’t believe I have been away for almost three years now!

How are you? What is going on with Hogwarts? How is Gryffindor? Still losing to Ravenclaw in quidditch I bet! Bake anything else in the kitchens or make any new friends recently?

Here are some recent pictures of Nanook, me, and the lighthouse.

I have so much to discuss with you, but first I’d like to know how you are doing!

Love,
Courtney

When she finished the letter, she almost knocked over her orange juice she was so excited to get up to her dorm to write back. Running up the stairs, Hilary thought back to some of the excellent things she had done with Courtney when they were in their prime. She was surely missing fun like that in her life. When she got to her desk she slid out a clean piece of parchment and a crumpled self inking quill well one out of two will do me I guess Hilary thought as she buckled down to write the letter.

Oh my magic, Courtney Potter!!!!!!!

Seriously you crazy girl, what ever happened to you! One year we're playing around and pulling pranks and the next thing I'm removing your name from the yearbook list. That's a story I just never heard. Anyways, I have been really missing you and all of your crazy ideas, I need a partner in crime some days.

I have been doing fairly well considering that I now seem to have no life. I go to class and work on the yearbook, but other than that I don't really have anything else going on. I have been sitting on the bench for Quidditch up till now, and yes Ravenclaw beat us, but I get to play the final game of normal season!! Actually really excited about that. I've discovered a "mini me" who is this second year Gryffindor. She plays Quidditch as a seeker, is working my old job at the Menagerie and actually looks strangely similar to me. And yeah..... no recent bake fests. That was a lot of fun though!!!!

Thanks for the photos, they are seriously fantastic. I'll include a few with this letter too.

SO yeah, so great to hear from you again!!! Oh and my mom is looking to move back to Canada but doesn't want to head for Southern Ontario because that's where my dad died. DO you have any suggestions of where she could move?

SO lots of love. (AND WRITE BACK SOON!!)

Hilary

Hilary folded the parchment and slid a few photos inside with inscriptions of what they were.

Gryffindor Quidditch Team 2023 Version

Recent photo of yours truly

Sealing the envelope, she ran up to the owlery where she sent the letter out with one of the more fit looking barn owls hoping for a speedy reply.

 

[Courtney Potter]

The weather was starting to get warm again, it was nearing the end of April and Courtney loved to sit on the beach in the Spring sun. Courtney was trying to ignore a fight between Nanook and what looked to be a crab, when an owl flew over her head and dropped an envelope. I wonder who this is from!!!! Courtney thought with excitement as she quickly ripped open the package. Hilary Grace! Courtney read through the letters and giggled at the pictures. It was awesome to be getting updates on many of her friends!

HILARY GRACE,

Thank you for writing back to me! I don't think there is much of a story behind my homeschooling. All I remember is that I was about to go back to Hogwarts for my fifth year, until my family pressured me to stay in Canada to be homeschooled. I miss all of our antics too! Pranks are not as funny when you only have two people and a dog to play them on!

I'm happy to hear that you are doing well. And that is so funny that you have a little twin lurking about Hogwarts! And why have you been sitting out on the bench instead of playing seeker for the Gryffindor team!? Totally not fair, you are one of the best seekers I have met! I remember the snitch catch when we were on the Valkyries together, now that seems like ages ago!

Love the photos. You are super pretty, and the Gryffindor team looks mighty spiffy....Actually, I think I can pick out your little twin! Too funny! Your family is moving back to Canada? Neat. I'd have to suggest moving close to my family on Cape Breton island, just because that would be totally wicked.

Oh, speaking of Canada, why don't you come and visit me on your next break from school? I know you are busy, but summer break is coming up and you have not yet been to the lighthouse! Plus, I will be looking for a job in New Zealand soon after summer break this year... So come visit me in Canada and not only will you be able to meet my crazy family, but we can have an awesome bakefest once again!

Love,
Courtney

 

[Hilary Grace]

The weather was starting to get a little bit chillier and Hilary realized she was starting to get anti-climatized. She had been in New Zealand too long, either that or inside in the yearbook room too long. One day in through the door flew an owl that dropped a letter right on top of her desk, papers flew everywhere. Shoot, this better be a good letter! Hilary thought as she slid it open and immediately didn't regret it. Dropping her pen she read the letter as she ran up the steps to the owlery almost running over a first year she didn't know.

Courtney Potter,

Of course I was going to write back! It's been for ages since I've heard from you!! So you're being home schooled now? How is that going for you, do you get to do your work in Pyjamas? Are you learning wizarding stuff or muggle stuff? Have you figured out how to work a microwave yet!?!?!

Yeah, when I saw her a sorting I was like WHAT!!!! I thought it was so funny, and then I ended up mentoring her in Quidditch, so I guess it all worked out. I guess I've just been overtired from working on the yearbook or something, or maybe Bruin in his "old age" can't tell me and my mini me apart I seriously miss being in the air and such, but I guess the team will figure it out. AWWWW I miss the Valkyries, that was so much fun!

Thanks for the photo comments, but really I'm not sure what I was smoking that day..... why am I wearing so much make up?? I just look greesy And yeah, I'm in the back row of that photo and she's the one in the front center. Well my mom is moving back to Canada, but the step daddy and Kerri are still living in France. Big jerk he is. So yeah, Cape Breton is on the east coast? I think mom would like the view of the sea, I'll let her know.

Really?!?!?!! That would be awesome! "Winter" vacation is in a couple months and I think that would be amazing. And yeah, I so want to come visit the lighthouse, I think that would be a lot of fun. You could travel back with me to New Zealand if you want, near the end of the holidays, I need to do some shopping anyways.... And yeah, we should totally have another bakefest. Why do you want to make this time???

Oober excited to hear more from you!!

Love Hilary.

With the thought of spending school break with Courtney she sent off her letter and skipped down the stairs.

 

[Courtney Potter]

Courtney received Hilary's letter not long after she had sent one to New Zealand. After reading the letter, Courtney didn't waste any time and began to write something back to Hilary.

Hilary,

Homeschooling is just like going to school at Hogwarts new Zealand, only there are fewer students in the classroom. The curriculum is the same, so I am not learning muggle subjects, unfortunately. And, don't be silly! I mastered the microwave long ago during our last bake fest! I'll have to tell dad to pick one up from a muggle shop for when you visit!

I miss the Valkyries too! And I hope you do get more play time in the future quidditch games! You can tell Bruin that I said so, if you must! Haha!

You don't look greasy in the picture, and the makeup looks good on you! Don't be such a goof! Yes, Cape Breton is on the East coast. The island is beautiful and so is the ocean view!!! I know your mom would love it here!

Hehe, you can skip the New Zealand winter by coming here for summer, too cool! I have planned to travel to New Zealand just after the year seven graduation for a few days, so you can come back to Canada with me when I return if you'd like! It shouldn't be too deep into the winter break.. If that is not a good time for you, let me know and we can work something else out! And I'm not sure about what to bake next....Do you have a cookbook of some sort? Just for ideas, we don't have to follow the recipes exactly (because that wouldn't be fun now, would it?).

a la prochaine,
Courtney