Letters PV to Ackerley Blackburn Finished

It has now been two weeks since September has started. The school was animated with students running around, children launching spells and jinx and the most interesting, some rumor about professors were already starting to be spread around. Ackerley had already heard a lot about Sawyer, who was still teaching the Defense against the Dark Arts class. The young man was happy to be able to return to this school in a matter of education. It was true that he had missed the peaceful atmosphere of the Scottish Castle. However, his two years at the British Ministry of Magic has given him new knowledge about spells and charms that he never expected to acquire otherwise. His condition has some positive aspect after all. 

The professor of charms has decided to finally send a letter to his younger sister, Eleanor. She has now achieved a place at the Ministry of Magic in The Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes. It was a path he never thought she would take. His sister loved natures, but mostly, she had a passion for Herbology which was why he had advised her to take the class her when it was still available. Therefore, she had decided it was not the path she should be taking. All of this was making him remember his times traveling around the world with his family. Times, a weird concept. It was passing so rapidly, but at the same times, it has some beauty in it. Every part of a life was stuck in a circle. One that would never stop, an infinity.

His destination was the Owlery. A Mystical location of the castle where every owl was stationed but also, where the fresh air could be felt. It was a relatively quiet and relaxing place, but at the same times, it could also be a disturbing one. Nature was a paradox. He would never stop saying this. Life has been hard, but could also be easy. It all depended on which side of the card the individual was. Unfortunately, Ackerley has often been on the wrong side of it. It was at least, what the young man thought when he was looking around himself, seeing children and teenager, smiling while talking to their friend. They looked so happy, but something was missing. The professor of charms, felt as if he could not reach to their happiness. He could not feel it. Happiness was also working on colors. Most of the feelings were. He had learned it after his accident. Nevertheless, The young man found himself lucky to still be alive. The consequences could have been darker and harder than they actually were. The man has stayed in the hospital for almost 3 months after this event. He had almost become blind.

Sighing, Ackerley continued his ascent to the Owlery. The place was located close to the Ravenclaw common room in the west tower. There were a lot of stairs to walk on before finally being able to achieve the top of it. Which was letting him time to think about his past. Because of his family, the young man has gone to different wizarding school. One of them that he would never forget would certainly be his time at Beauxbaton. The French school. Ackerley has always been fluent in French, which explained why he never had trouble following his different classes in this establishment. He had gone there during his Sixth year and a part of his Seventh one too. He had learned a few tricks about magic there. But the most important was that he has made a lifetime friend, Matilda Barrows. The two of them have been partners in they potion class. The young woman was extraordinary. He had never met someone like her before. She has something special. Maybe it was because of her personality, but the man really liked to spend time with her and had been quite sad when he had moved again to finish his schooling at Hogwarts. It was on that sadden thought that the man entered the Owlery.

However, the young man was not expecting the person he saw while entering. It was a beautiful woman with long hair. He could have recognized her anywhere, even after a few years of being apart.

- Tu es la dernière personne que je m’attendais à voir ici, Matilda!


Ackerley walked in her direction but decided to stay a little bit far. He has not seen her for a long time. If he was remembering correctly, it was before his accident. At that moment, he felt a movement in his back. Quickly a small creature got on his shoulder, it was Denise, his tarantula. The man slowly smiled at her. It was a nice meeting he had not expected.

 Picking the heavier-set letter up from the ledge, Matilda gave Jasmine a quick caress of her soft, furry head before she turned to get another owl. She had only just chosen the owl she was going to give the duty of passing the envelope along to Ackerley Blackburn, when she heard someone opening the Owlery door once again. If Jasmine hadn't been in the room with her, she wouldn't have looked over to see who it might be when she was alerted of someone else entering, and leaving a possible escape for her cat. The first thing she was able to notice was her cat, which was a white fluff playing in the straw which covered the floor of the Owlery. The second thing, that the person that had come in was not a student, nor a stranger. She had expected the student who had attempted to take her cat in, claiming he thought she were a stray, coming to steal her back, but it was not.

 A wide grin tugged across Matilda's face once her ice blue eyes had landed on the sight of her old friend. He looked as well as ever - if not a little aged since the last time the two had seen each other. Then again, it had been at least nine, almost ten years since then. She made sure that her Persian feline was occupied before she made a move forward. She was well-accustomed to giving her good friends hugs each time they saw each other - she had made a habit of doing so back in her Fifth Year - so she did just that, holding it for just a second before she stepped back, looking up at his features. He hadn't changed much. His hairstyle, perhaps, but his locks of hair were still brown. His eyes were still a colour that she could get lost in. He still held the things that she had found to like about him.

 "Bonjour, Ackerley! Ça fait tellement longtemps!" She exclaimed as she held up her letter for him so that he could see it, "J'étais sur le point de t'envoyer cette lettre, en fait." She held it out to him. Despite her probably having enough time to tell him all of the things that have happened, she would rather give it to him than let good parchment go to waste. 

 She looked over to his shoulder as she noticed a creature sitting upon his shoulder. A tarantula, in fact. She tilted her head to the side slightly as she inspected it - or rather, her. She was pretty sure this would be Denise, Ackerley's companion of sorts. He had mentioned her when he acquired her, and even more-so throughout the rest of his letters addressed to Matilda onwards. It was quite interesting to see her in person rather than her being described in a letter. "Serait-ce la fameuse Denise?" She looked from the spider to Ackerley's face once more, her grin maintaining its' brightness on her face. It still remained a surprise that they were in the same place, at the same time.

 The sounds of owls hooting could be heard all around them, as well as Jasmine's frequent meowing, as she was now wrapping herself around Matilda's legs. Ah, she couldn't escape the cat's constant shedding on her pants. It was endless. She sighed, bending down to scoop Jasmine into her arms. She faced the feline's face towards the man in front of her, holding her tightly so that she wouldn't attempt to jump out of her arms. Matilda was lucky beforehand, when she moved Jasmine up onto the ledge. The white cat hated to be picked up, but had to fight Matilda with it everyday. It wasn't like Matilda could resist holding such a cute being, though.

 "Voici Jasmine." She introduced Jasmine to Ackerley. It was only right, considering she had basically introduced herself to his companion. She was a little nervous about her getting close enough to bother Denise, though, so she kept her a decent distance away. She wouldn't hope to have an unfortunate event to happen. And by that, she meant Jasmine getting herself into trouble by trying to play with Denise - she was sure the smaller being would enjoy it all that much.

 Eventually, the ball of fur jumped out of her owner's arms, and prodded back over to the perches in the stairwell, causing Matilda to sigh heavily, "Pas les hiboux.." She muttered to herself, trailing after Jasmine to encourage her away from the birds, and leading her towards the door, "Va errer dans les couloirs." She instructed, opening the door and nudging her out before closing it again, preventing her from coming inside and terrifying any more owls. Jasmine was used to being in the hallways, anyways. 

 "Désolé, quelques fois elle est trop amicale.  Alors, comment vas-tu?" She turned back to Ackerley, the grin back on her face. Now that her cat was out of the room, she didn't have to worry about the owl's safety, and she could instead focus on Ackerley and Denise. She held her hands behind her back, making her way back to where the dynamic duo were once more.

It was a situation that Ackerley was not expecting. The young man had met Matilda at Beauxbaton during their Sixth year. At first, he had not really seen her. Ackerley was more solitary during that period of his life since he always had to move to another country because of his parent work. It was then a singular habit that he had taken to simply avoid student. Therefore, destiny had wanted otherwise, for him. It was during their potion class that the two of them really started to know each other. During that class, it was frequent that students needed to be in pairs to work on a specific potion. Ackerley and Matilda were then partners of Potion. At first, the man was unsure of the way he was supposed to act in front of the woman, but fast enough, he discovered her beautiful personality and decided to open himself to her. That even had occurred eleven years ago. They had known each other for that long and Ackerley was glad to have met her. She had changed him in ways he could never imagine. 

During his Seventh year, Ackerley's family had decided to move again to England. It has been a harsh situation for him since he had lowered his guard again and had thought that perhaps, he would stay there and would not move again. It has been on a sad note that the young man had been forced to say goodbye to his friend, Matilda. However, it had not been the end of their friendship. They had communicated with letters, send by an owl. For a decade, they had not seen each other. The man could only imagine what the energetic girl has become. Nevertheless, reading her letter was a joyful moment. Each time, he had a small smile on his face, it was a peaceful moment.Once he has received a letter from her, Ackerley was always taking it back to his office, carefully opening it so that it doesn't break and would slowly read each part a few times to be certain that he had understood everything. A cup of black tea was always at his side, while Denise was wandering around the room. It was his happiness. Something to look forward to.

The man returned his attention to Matilda when he felt her get closer to him. It has been so long since their last meeting. She had changed but in a good sense. The girl was now a woman, still has beautiful as before. She still smelled nice, just like summer, and had her anarchical aura around her. It was a fantastic chance to meet her here. However, something was blocking him from truly showing his happiness. The last time he had seen her. He could see her beautiful brown hair, her cold blue eyes. Today, it was a marvelous shade of grey and dark. The young man sighed, this accident had taken away the majority of his happiness. If only that spells did not fail, perhaps he would still see the beautiful shade of color. It was then with an unsure movement that Ackerley closed his arms around the smaller woman. It was something reassuring to feel her this close. He slowly smiled. What a strange reunion. Who could have predicted the two of them would find each other again in the Owlery of Hogwarts? Destiny was, indeed, so sort of strange events.

Once Matilda had talked, the only thing Ackerley could focus on was her eyes. They were glowing from her feeling. He could see it. She had a letter destined for him in her hand. He carefully took it from her hand and smiled dreamfully. Passing his thumb of the frame envelope, Ackerley thanks her. Denise was still on his shoulder, trying to get up on his head. This situation was new for her. She had never met Matilda. The young lass was gently, looking at the woman. Trying to analyze the situation. Ackerley slowly took her in his hand and showed her to the woman.

- Effectivement. Il s'agit bien de Denise, ma tarentule. N'est-elle pas adôrable?

 It was true that the young professor of charms loved his spider. She was his best companion and she could understand him in a way that nobody else really could. Which was a special link he was sharing with her. Ackerley returned his attention to a specific animal in the location. Indeed, Matilda was not alone. She has a cat with her.It was at that moment that she presented her to him. The cat wanted to leave her arms as soon as possible, but he could see the determined expression on the woman's face. It was not something new. Her cat was probably some sort of rebellious animal. The cat was now back on the ground, trying to annoy the poor owls that were only trying to complete their job. It was a fun situation. Ackerley could not think of another word to describe this day. He had found Matilda in the Owlery when he thought she was still in France, he had met her cat, and they were in for a long chat.

- Ton chat est très mignon! 

Ackerley then laughed in front of the situation. It was some sort of the joyful event to see his friend trying to catch her cat to save the poor owl. The young man had laid Denise on his shoulder and was laying on the wall while looking at her. She had some mysterious aura around her. It was during those moments that he wished to see colors. He was sure that she must have been beautiful and unique during that moment.The young man smiled and waited for her to come back to him. She had let her cat wander in the corridors. Which would be better if they wanted to share a conversation. Perhaps, later on, he would ask her to join in his office to share a cup of tea. They would then be able to talk about the past, but also about the future. It would be a pleasant experience. After a while, Matilda asked him a question that made him feel strange. Should he answer truthfully to her interrogation? In fact, it was not a complicated question, but wanting to know how to man went could lead to a darker part. Indeed, since his accident, Ackerley has been keeping some distance between himself and his friend. He had started to write less to Matilda too. At least, to write less detail in his letter. To be honest, the man was scared of what he has become. Perhaps it could explain is lack of socials meeting. In that reflection, he looked at her back in her eyes and sadly smiled.

- It has been hard since this incident. I am unsure of how to describe this situation...

The man started to look around the location. There was a strange feeling passing through it. On the other hand, his English had taken over without him seeing it. It was something that would happen frequently when both of them were at Beauxbaton. An event in which, Matilda would often laugh about. It was something that made him feel better somehow. Ackerley returned his attention to her.

- Et toi, comment vas-tu? Aurait du décroché un poste d'enseignant à Poudlard sans m'en parler? 

He gently smiled at the woman. It was nice to have someone that's familiar close to him again.




 

 The excitement from being able to see her old friend in front of her still sat within her bones. If she couldn't see her good friend Dionne, at least she was able to see Ackerley. She had heard from him that he had quit his position at Hogwarts to work with the Ministry. Why was he here now? Had he taken his position back up now? She would keep these questions in mind for later in the future. Perhaps for today, if neither of them ended up having any plans. She knew that there were no such plans in her day plan, but she wouldn't be able to say the same for the other person in the room with her. The feeling of him taking the letter out of her grasp made her feel a sense of pride. Knowing the fact he was still happy to read her letters was a relief. He still wanted to know about how her life was going.

 She kept her eyes trained on the little spider that had been presented in the man's hand before she introduced her cat. Matilda had always been eager to have chance encounters with small insects, such as spiders. A tarantula was one type of spider that she couldn't say she had the chance to meet yet. She straightened slightly when she was quite finished inspecting, and she grinned, "Merci, sur Jasmine. Elle est cependant une douleur." She nodded her head once at the dark-haired male, and then took a few steps towards the windowless window pane, looking out at the Grounds, but keeping her frame turned towards her friend. She leaned against the stone that made up the wall of the Owlery with her elbow, turning her attention back to Ackerley once he began to speak again. His voice always seemed to have the effect of catching her attention, even if they were in a crowded room.

 "Incident?" She questioned, quirking an eyebrow up at the word. She knew what it meant, but the fact that it were something she wasn't aware of concerned her. What was important enough to keep it out of their letters, if it seemed to effect him? Her smile had dropped off of her expression, and instead was replaced with a look of concern. In an event that she would regularly laugh at - Ackerley accidentally using English in a French conversation - she couldn't even laugh. She wanted to know what was going on, what could be upsetting him. She was always the empathetic type.

 A small sigh surpassed her lips as he asked her how she was as well, and if she happened to get a teaching position without telling him. In which she gestured to the letter that he now had, a small, tense smile picking at her lips as she did so, "La lettre explique tout. Et je vais bien, excité, seul." She shrugged her shoulders slightly, pushing off of the window ledge slightly to cross her arms across her chest, bracing herself against the strong draft of wind that seemed to breeze its way through the Owlery. These were the moments where she was justified in her choice of keeping to herself in the confinements of her classroom. Perhaps she should suggest the two to go back there for tea now - it was warmer, and definitely her favourite space. After all, she had all of her comic books there, as well as her other various collections. Plus, a brewing of tea was always a good idea.

 "Would you like to grab a cup of tea?" She asked, breaking off her streak of French dialogue. She had been having the habit of doing so as of recent, considering her new environment. She happened to pick up others' speaking habits, and this was no difference. She should probably speak more English anyways - she would have to use the language to communicate with her classes. It saddened her that she wasn't teaching at her alumni school then - but she did have Ackerley here, apparently. Perhaps it could be alright. "I only have black, green, oolong and jasmine, but I promise that they're not awful." She tucked her arms behind her back, clasping her hands together.

 The cold was never something that Matilda was a fan of, and she would try any possible excuse to get into a warmer area if possible. She took a good amount of steps away from the window, though, because even that was an improvement. She walked back towards Ackerley, as well as Denise, tugging the sleeves of her robe over her hands. "Shall we?" She offered one of her arms out to him, intending for the two of them to link arms, something that she was used to doing with friends of her's while walking around. She also hoped he would tell her about this 'incident' he spoke of, and what exactly happened. Was he alright? She grinned at him, taking in his appearance once again to reassure herself that this was very much real - that he was very much in the room with her. It was never something she thought would happen recently, despite her hopes that it would. 

Ackerley gently smiled at her. Somehow, being with her again felt like coming home. The distance had not done any real damage to their friendship and he was grateful for that. He could not imagine his life without her in it. Matilda was like the sun and he was like the moon. Both needed each other. However, Ackerley could not tell how Matilda was really feeling about him. Sure, in the past something had happened between them, but it has not lasted since he had to move back to England again. In that sense, the man felt lost. Lost in a dark and empty dream. Unfortunately, Ackerley had no clue on how to proceed. What should he tell her? What could he actually do? Most importantly, was he enough repaired to be someone great to her? He had been so broken after that incident. He regretted that action. He would regret it all his life, but on the other hand, he could not forget the times he passed as an Unspeakable. Yes, that period of his life was a mystery, but the man still had loved each part of it. He had got the chance to work with his maternal aunt and to discover a few new magical artifacts. Indeed, it has not been the best department for him at first since Ackerley was a specialist in charms, but he had learned to love it and adapted himself to that kind of work. He had also developed a passion for curses spells. It was why he studied again to get a specialization title from the Ministry. 

The young man had done a lot in his life. He saw many things, visited many places, but like he told himself earlier, the only place that he truly wanted was to be with her. In that sense, Ackerley returned his attention to Matilda. She was speaking about her cat. He could see it. The small white pet was given a lot of trouble even if she seems adorable. He smiled at the woman in front of her while slowly following her to the window. Ackerley looked to the horizon. The Scottish castle was really a great place and he has been glad to be back here for a few years. Receiving the letter from the Headmaster has been the best thing that could have happened to him and he was grateful for it. His position has Deputy Headmaster had truly made him grow. He learned so many beautiful things. Difficult and easy, but he was glad. 

Ackerley had always seen it, the way he seems to catch Matilda attention each time he speaks. She would turn quickly toward him and look at him with those beautiful eyes. It was natural for them. Somehow, they would always understand each other no matter what. It was one of the reasons Ackerley actually became friendly with her at first. He was quite the introvert individual and she had made him more open. He returned his attention to her when she spoke about the incident. Indeed, he was the one who has brought the topic, but he had forgotten that he never actually mentioned it in his letter. Perhaps it would be a great time to speak to her about it. The man slowly sighed and looked into her eyes. She seemed worried. 

- I-it is a really long story. Perhaps we could discuss it another day...

Ackerley was not the best to share his feelings. Especially when they were still tormenting him. However, for her, he would do the necessary once the time comes, but today, it was supposed to be a joyful moment. In that sense, he preferred to avoid the delicate subject. They would have plenty of times to speak about different parts of their own life since they would be teaching in the same school. A small silence has installed itself until he decided to ask her about her position in which she answered with a gesture towards the letter that was still inside his large hand. She must have explained everything in there. As usual, the man smiled at her. 

- I see! I can't wait to read it, Matilda. I am really curious to learn what made you come here! 

It was at that moment that she asked him to continue their talk with a cup of tea in her office. It was an excellent idea and he could not think otherwise. It was reassuring to see that some things never changed. No matter of long the amount of time separating them was, they would still be at the same point when they find each other again. It was always like that and would always be. Ackerley was glad that she could understand him so well. 

- I will gladly take a cup of black tea is that is alright with you. 

At that moment, Matilda linked their arms together and was ready to go. It was a habit of hers. She had always done that in the past, with her friend and him. However, even if he knew and was used to it, he would still get a little bit flustered by this action. Matilda grinned at him and he has replied to her the same way. He could not wait for the moment where they would be together drinking tea as if nothing ever happened. Of course, everything was different now, but at least, they would be able to brave those situations together. Ackerley cheered up a little bit and looked at her.

- Alright my lady, follow my lead! 

Just like that, both of them left the Owlery, locations, where their meeting would be remembered as an important moment of their life, has it was the debut of something new, something greater a promising.