Letters Between Friends

[Nicci]

It was the gentle sprinkling of silvery dust that gave away how much time had passed since she had returned to the small country cottage. The ivory scrolls of aging parchment lay partially unfolded adorning the top of a pile of now unneeded but well loved textbooks. Alongside the stack, the once pristine white swan quill rested untouched and ink free, dormant from its once dutiful indispensable purpose during those last end of term exams.
Now the last shrine and a connection to a home she had adored commanded a majority of the dining room table and had no intention of moving until it was good and ready.

It wasn’t that she had forgotten, or had no interest in keeping touch with some of her old friends at Hogwarts, but the fact that Robyn felt that she had become disconnected and saddened in returning to a very empty life where even the family dog wasn’t anymore. She thought of her friends many times; how they were getting on starting their new jobs? Did they have a good summer that was now a forever ago? Did they miss her too?.... How was Mark? She missed him most of all.

She had tried on many uneventful occasions to compose a letter to send to him, the fruits of which were now shoved down the back of the bed in shame; too heartfelt, too soppy, too five year old I can’t bear to leave you behind. The anxiety pang always took over when she thought about describing the distance now between them and the sea of overwhelming tears had become easier to handle if she didn’t start the letters in the first place. But now she had to try...

Pulling out a chair from the dining room table, Robyn took a deep breath and picked up the writing instruments sending a cascade of dancing dust motes up into the rays of afternoon sunshine and prepared to write.

Dearest Mark that started the task easier than she thought and made the empty page less daunting.

Firstly I should apologise for not writing to you sooner, you know what I’m like and I expected you would be busy in the first couple of months after getting our results.
I hope everything is going well? Tell me about things?

It’s strange being home in the village, I see your mum all the time out in your garden; she always waves to me and invites me in for a cup of her special herbal tea. She tells me Kelly is doing really well? You must be so proud of her?

I really hope this letter reaches you and that we can catch up again real soon.
I miss you a lot

Always Robbie xxx

It was short but it showed her interest in his activities and family and didn’t gush out her inner loneliness. The hard part was over, now the easy pit was to seal it in an envelope and send it going on its way by owl post, she just had to hope that if there wasn’t a chance that he would be coming back to the village he would at least be able to write back to her letter.

[Thomas]

It had been too long; since Robyn had sent him the letter. He should have wrote long ago to let her know how he'd been getting on, but it just wasn't the same was it, writing a letter when before he had her right there. He wanted to tell her how much he'd missed her, how he missed her there by his side as he walked to his next class, her head in his lap as they read notes together in the common room lounge, her bright smile and chatter as they sat on the shore of the great lake.

He ripped out the latest attempt, and sat down again. He flattened out the worn letter and started to read it again; he sat there, absently fiddling with the silver ring on his finger; finally he put the quill to the parchment.

Hey Robyn,
It's so great to hear from you! I'm so glad you wrote, Things are going well here! I've been very busy with work, they are really great and it's been lots of fun. How are you? How is mum? Is she keeping well? Let her know I was asking about her! Kelly is doing really well, she'd love to hear from you. I miss her very much. I miss you too! Have you kept in touch with everyone from school? I'm missing the gang, we will all have to catch up! What are you up to these days?
Missing you lots,
Mark.

Mark set down his quill, it's wasn't much but it was a start. He rolled the parchment tight and pushed it through his ring. Mark whistled for Corvus and handed his raven the note. "For Robyn" he said as he opened the kitchen window.

[Nicci]

The arrival of Mark’s letter wouldn’t have caused so much of a shock or mess if it had arrived by a method that Robyn had been expecting that one late mid afternoon. As the days of late had past at a snail’s pace since she had sent her letter to him off by owl, Robyn had expectantly left several windows open in a hope that a feathered friend might need the cottage as a suitable landing destination and even the checking of doormat had become an adopted part of her routine habits in case the worst had come to the worst and a less conventional Muggle way had been adopted by Mark for task.
The raven’s sudden arrival at a quarter to and three minutes to the hour of three, shattered the once wistful silence of the lane with its persistent cawing and banging as it drilled its shiny ebony beak repeatedly into the cast iron gate at the end of the garden path. As Corvus demanded instant attention and refused to silence its squawking unless its duty had been completed, Robyn absent mindedly dropped the cup of tea she had been drinking and had fled outside the cottage undignified with her arms frantically waving.

Once Corvus had been rewarded with half a custard cream and her tea saturated t-shirt confined to a bowl of bubbles in the kitchen sink, Robyn took hold of the rolled letter and held it tightly in her hands. Thankfully she couldn’t hear her brain fretting about the ‘what if’s’ over the deep thumping of her heart beat in her ears. It was here, it was really here..
Mark. Seeing his silver ring clenching the parchment tightly together in its circular grasp was like being reunited with a small bit of her cherished friend right there in her very kitchen. For such a small item its presence alone spoke volumes, he wouldn’t have sent it on such a journey unless he greatly trusted the chosen carrier and wanted to show the recipient the extent of how much he cared about them.

Startled out of her daydream by another impatient caw by Corvus, the raven fidgeted extending his wings with a bounce, sending the silver salt and pepper mills on the kitchen table beside him on a one way journey towards the tiled floor below. The raven seemed unfazed by the small destruction he had caused with the condiments and Robyn’s gaze was met with Corvus’s brilliant stare as he threatened to drop a teaspoon also off the table lip.
She knew what he wanted and sadly she would have to give it up.

Slipping the silver ring off the rolled parchment, Robyn squeezed it in her hand tightly, made a silent wish and held it out at arm’s length towards the feathered messenger. Intrigued and satisfied like a magpie with a milk bottle top, Corvus took the ring and flew out the kitchen window.
Following the raven’s short flight path with Mark’s letter in hand, Robyn picked up the ebony black feather on the window sill it left behind and pulled the window closed.

The lane may have thought it had been sentenced to silence once again at Corvus’s departure but the joyous euphoric scream echoed through the rafters of the small thatched cottage, as the blonde haired tornado bounded the stairs towards her bedroom uncaring that she was still wearing nothing on top but her brassiere with all the windows wide open. Mark had finally wrote back!

Pt 2:
Plonking herself down on the end of her pale lemon lace edged duvet and neatly crisscrossing her legs one under the other, Robyn blew the fallen hair out of her eyes through gasps of caught breath as she pulled her final arm through the new crisp clean sky blue t-shirt.
As the surge of euphoria had tired like her exhaling lung capacity, Robyn found that although she wholeheartedly wanted to read the letter from Mark part of her was terrified, nervous and it had already subconsciously causing her to stare at the now slightly unravelling parchment tube.

For twenty minutes in silent contemplation Robyn had done nothing, nor moved a single inch from the spot on the bed. Mark’s neatly rolled letter was the only thing that had and had since been given pride of place on the wooden scalloped white footboard about half an arm’s length away from her.
She had contemplated many, many outrageous worst possible scenarios that Mark could have wrote about in his letter. Some bordered on plausible: he was having a great time wherever he was, he was liking his new home or possibly that he wasn’t likely to be able to visit anytime soon. Others went so far as to cause her doubt that he was never ever going to materialise in her life ever again, life was absolutely tip top fantastic in this outstanding amazing place wherever he was and so much so that he might not ever have room in it for someone like her.

Exhausted and frustrated by her overwhelming anxiety, Robyn collapsed back onto her bed and let a few gentle tears roll down her cheek. Life was so much easier and relaxing when Mark was around in person. She never had to feel afraid about what he had to say, she could read the tone of his thoughts from the expression of his face or feel the warmth radiating out from his smile. Right at this moment she would have given anything to be transported back in time a few months to the Hufflepuff common room where the two of them would have been found together, her head resting on his lap and him believing that he had her full attention to the revision topic at hand.

She couldn’t do it. Feeling in this kind of worked up state; she’d end up writing things back to him she might regret putting down on paper, or worse she wouldn’t end up writing anything at all and would have to confine herself and her blubbering mess into her safe space in the bottom of the airing cupboard. She hadn’t been in there for a long time and really had no intention of breaking her promise to her stronger self that she would never ever let her emotions drag her to resort to solitary confinement. There was only one other person who could make her feel better about knowing the current truth about Mark and that was none other than Steph, Mark’s mother.

Pt 3:
Summoning every ounce of courage, it didn’t take Robyn very long to stroll at a steady pace down the uneven patched tarmac lane that ran parallel to her father’s cottage heading openly towards the main street of the tiny village. With Mark’s house it was never the main structure or dry stone walled perimeter that was the first to come into her view but always the Horse Chestnut tree towering over the smaller external potting sheds and outhouses in the neighbouring vicinity. Just like every other summer the tree looked magnificent, proudly sporting its lush leaf canopy of green but without Mark around the tree was just like any other at this time of year.

It was Robyn who spotted Steph first quietly hanging out large white bed clothes on a stringed washing line in the large open field that adjoined near the house. Her hands trembled as she watched like a stranger someone who she had known all her life and who cared for her more than her own mother did. But now Mark and Kelly her bridge into this other family was gone and all that was left was an unnecessary feeling of awkwardness about why she remained.
As Steph smiled, having noticed her familiar visitor through the gap in the hanging sheets Robyn’s stomach rolled with unease and anxiety. Truth be told this was the first real time she had set foot close to Mark’s house since she had returned from Hogwarts, she hadn’t lied in her first letter to him she really had done what she said she did but the information she had learnt was in a quick passing conversation once in the village shop. Steph had genuinely tried to invite Robyn to tea that day but Robyn had politely made an excuse and hurried away back to the safety of the empty cottage.

Robyn had just tried to believe she was doing the right thing by keeping out of everyone’s way, she knew how difficult it was to deal with her own emotions regarding Mark’s new current job situation and surely it must be just as difficult for Steph and Brian without having to see a prominent face from the past to remind them of the recent changes. Steadying her nerves and gripping the still unrolled letter in her pocket, today wasn’t about her...It was about Mark and hopefully sharing the start of some positive news with others who care about him as well. Taking a deep breath, Robyn returned Steph’s smile and soon found herself wrapped tightly in her familiar comforting embrace.
Finally it felt like someone was welcoming her home...

Dear Mark,

Firstly I’m so very glad that you received my letter, my owl is still quite new to the postal system but I’m pleased that she made the journey safely to you. Corvus is such a delightful and intelligent bird; he really knows how to announce his arrival.
It’s wonderful to hear that you have settled in well at your new job and that your new colleagues are friendly. It must have been a real change from everyday life at school but I knew you could do it, you aced your exams and the role was just perfect for you. Apart from being busy, have they taught you anything new and exciting?

Your parents are doing well, your mum is watching over my shoulder as I write this to you. She is also expecting you now to write to them regularly as well now that you have settled in and found your feet in the wide wizarding world; however I have been informed that there will be a bag of your favourite home baked cookies accompanying my letter from her for you. They send you their love as always and many kisses. They miss you lots but are very proud of everything you are accomplishing and are eagerly making space for more things of yours to frame on the wall.

I think of Kelly every time I see my compact folding mirror on my dressing table. I shall indeed write her a letter, you are right as always and I’m sure she would love to hear from me. I can’t believe September will be rolling around so soon and I won’t be standing by your front gate with a flushed face and a heavy trunk of school books.

I will hopefully be doing ok soon as well; it’s not easy being back home but you mustn’t worry about me. I haven’t really felt like writing to anyone else since the end of the exams, but you are right that we will all have to have a catch up one day really soon. I’m sure everyone would be pleased to know that you are already becoming such a high flyer, especially a few certain people *wink*.

I guess if I’m honest I’m just still trying to find the right place where I belong now, I have to realise what my options are and boldly make the similar steps you did. I was extremely disappointed that I wasn’t chosen for any of the general herbology related vacancies or healer apprenticeships I applied for but your mum has encouraged me not to lose hope and I know something will come along for me.

Anyway I’m afraid it’s getting late. Missing you always.
Robbie xxx

As Robyn settled in bed and placed her head on the pillow that evening, she was pleased that she had been to see Mark’s family. Amidst the sea of tea, tears, cuddles and far too many homemade cookies, it had been the right choice. Now if she could only just keep hold of this new found positive beam of energy and put one foot in front of the other maybe she could get somewhere.