Letters From Mylene
The Tuesday after the other schools had left Hogwarts, a familiar tawny owl soared over the Hufflepuff breakfast table and landed daintily in front of EmmaLee, a rainbow-colored envelope in its beak. EmmaLee gave the owl a treat in exchange for the letter and it took off gracefully, not even bumping a breakfast plate in its leaving.OOC NOTE: It is to be assumed that all letters between EmmaLee and Mylene are in French.
EmmaLee turned the letter over in her hands. Well... that seemed a reasonable request. What a weird custom. Though, when she thought about it, sending every single LeDames daughter to any one school was quite a harrowing idea. By the time she was a seventh year, some fifteen of her cousins would be school-age. For a moment, she was both stunned and intrigued by the idea of fifteen girls who looked just like her running around Hogwarts. It was a wild image. It was probably better they all didn't invade Beauxbatons.April 22, 2023
Dearest Niece,
From what I understand, the other schools have returned home, yes? I would love to hear all about it. They didn't do balls when your mother was in school and only the matriarch goes to school in our family. Well, I suppose your mother hasn't told you about any of that.
In the LeDames family, the oldest daughter of the oldest daughter is the leader of the family, or the Matriarch. Since your great, great, great grandmother Ariane died, may the ladies keep her well, the Matriarch is Maia, her daughter and your great great grandmother. Then is her daughter Ariette, then her daughter, your grandmother, my mother, Genvieve, then Celeste, then you. Everyone except for you has gone to Beauxbaton, but Hogwarts is probably just as well. I guess.
Granted, as we were unsure about whether we would be able to convince your mother or you to return to us, they have sent Anais, LaLune's oldest, to Beauxbatons in your place. If you can remember, she is only a year younger than you. If you see her at any of the balls, be sure to say hello.
Anywho, an inter-school ball sounds fascinating. Please write me back about it. I can share it with your cousins along with Anais's account. She writes LaLune almost every day. I understand there is also a summer camp that you have gone to. That would be fascinating to hear about as well.
Let me know soon!
Mylene LeDames.
P.S. Did you like the box I sent? Did you use it? Let me know if you'd like to talk about that situation. I'm all ears. I hope you make the right choice.
As for the box, she hadn't thought about it since the ball, really. She had put it away in the closet, deciding to decide what to do with it later. Maybe it was time to take it out and make a decision. She felt that she had to do something with it, even if it wasn't what Tante Mylene had wanted her to do with it. It was too pretty a box to sit in the closet for eternity and Mylene has clearly worked very hard on it.
Yanked from her thoughts by the class bell, EmmaLee put the letter into her bag and headed off to class, deciding she'll write back tonight and see about the box.
Last edited by EmmaLee LeDames on 1 Jul 2024, 20:48, edited 2 times in total.
Fearless | Calming Presence | E.L. | Prodigal Transfiguration
ST: 9 | EV: 9 | STR: 3 | WI: 8 | ARC: 9 | ACC: 11
Caretaker: A. P. Finch | iNPC: Yasha V.
ST: 9 | EV: 9 | STR: 3 | WI: 8 | ARC: 9 | ACC: 11
Caretaker: A. P. Finch | iNPC: Yasha V.
Letters From Mylene
After classes, EmmaLee found herself sitting at the vanity desk in her dorm room with her own blue stationery out and the box sitting to the side of the table. She had pondered it all day and had finally decided to just put all of her letters in it, not just the ones from Stephen as Mylene wanted her to. She had divided the box into a few sections (parents, friends, Mylene, Stephen) and sorted the letters she already had into those sections. She could add or change the sections as needed, but this was a good start. Now to write Mylene, en Français in French.
April 23, 2023
Dear Tante Mylene,
Yes. All of the other schools have returned home on Sunday. I imagine Anais has already written to you. She seems very diligent to do that. I had a very good time myself. I met quite a few new friends from Ilvermorny, Beauxbatons, and Mahoutokoro. I was also able to spend a lot of time with some old friends, as well.
The Hogwarts balls always have a decent amount of chaos and this time a pack of nifflers found their way into the area where the ball was and attacked a few students for their jewelry. My friends and I were able to help a little, I got one of them with a rooting spell, but I had twisted my ankle earlier in the evening and had to be taken to the hospital wing to get it healed.
I have gone to summer camp the last two years and intend to attend this year as well. Although they haven't announced the dates for it yet, so I don't know exactly when it will be.
I hope the family is doing well and that Anais enjoyed her first year at school. I may write to her as well. Send my love to my great-grandmother and my grandparents.
All love,
Fearless | Calming Presence | E.L. | Prodigal Transfiguration
ST: 9 | EV: 9 | STR: 3 | WI: 8 | ARC: 9 | ACC: 11
Caretaker: A. P. Finch | iNPC: Yasha V.
ST: 9 | EV: 9 | STR: 3 | WI: 8 | ARC: 9 | ACC: 11
Caretaker: A. P. Finch | iNPC: Yasha V.
Letters From Mylene
Another letter came on the morning of May second and EmmaLee slipped it into her pocket to read and respond to that night after classes.
As truly happy as she was that he had found a way to pursue his dreams, and he had found some common ground with his father, it did feel like these studies would just take him farther away from her grasp. And what did that exactly mean anyway? What kind of grasp did she want him in? She was still confused on what made him different from a friend like Kiernan or Sara.
Kiernan had been her friend significantly longer. He knew quite literally everything there was to know about her. They had gone through thick and thin together. So why did the thought of Kiernan's wavy black hair and woody brown eyes not send her chest pounding like the thought of Stephan's starry blue ones? Why did hugging Kiernan not send electricity from her hands down to her toes?
Maybe.....it would do well to confide in Mylene. At least to clear her thoughts on Stephen and line them up. If she lined them up, maybe she could make sense of them.
EmmaLee looked over the letter at her vanity once again and sighed. Why was Mylene so insistent to talk about this? Couldn't they just let the whole, entire thing go? It was hard enough to not let intrusive thoughts of Stephen distract her from her studies. How was he doing in school with his extra studies, was he going to come to summer camp or was he going to stay home to complete them?May 1, 2024
My Dearest Niece,
Sorry, it took a moment to write to you. We have been preparing for May Day and it is finally over. Did your mother ever celebrate May Day with you? I imagine it is not as fun with only two. Anias won the May Pole this year. LaLune is very proud.
It is wonderful that you are making international connections already. Are they pureblood? While sometimes it can be beneficial to mingle with the commoners, so to speak, it isn't good to get too close to those who are not on your level. Remember not to get your heart involved, as well, with any of those sneaky boys. They can be charming, but you're smarter than that.
Your Grandmother has had a few conversations with some of the connected families here is France to find you a suitable match. She has even looked into some families we know in Italy and Japan. I'm very excited for you.
That being said, how are you getting on with Stephen? I can come and see you if you need a shoulder or someone to talk to in person. France is but two apparitions away from Glasgow. As I said before, you can lean on us. We are you family who loves you and only want what's best for you. Heartbreak isn't something you have to go through alone. At the very least go to your mother, please. She had the worst of us all losing your father and she did chose to go through that alone.
I'm very afraid for you, dear. I am even willing to hear that you have not taken my advice, but your silence about it is foreboding. Have you simply not decided yet? I know that it is hard to let go of this kind of feeling, but I have never heard of one of us who was not better off letting their love go and choosing the LeDames path. In ten generations we have not had one divorce or separation or unhappy marriage. If it's not broken, don't fix it, yes?
Anyway, sorry for getting too serious. I can't believe you had to fight nifflers at a ball. I've heard some outrageous things about the events at Hogwarts and it baffles me that they really might be true. I am sure that your school nurse fixed you right up though. Who exactly did you meet there? I'd like to hear all about your friends, truly.
Your family sends their love,
Mylene LeDames.
As truly happy as she was that he had found a way to pursue his dreams, and he had found some common ground with his father, it did feel like these studies would just take him farther away from her grasp. And what did that exactly mean anyway? What kind of grasp did she want him in? She was still confused on what made him different from a friend like Kiernan or Sara.
Kiernan had been her friend significantly longer. He knew quite literally everything there was to know about her. They had gone through thick and thin together. So why did the thought of Kiernan's wavy black hair and woody brown eyes not send her chest pounding like the thought of Stephan's starry blue ones? Why did hugging Kiernan not send electricity from her hands down to her toes?
Maybe.....it would do well to confide in Mylene. At least to clear her thoughts on Stephen and line them up. If she lined them up, maybe she could make sense of them.
Fearless | Calming Presence | E.L. | Prodigal Transfiguration
ST: 9 | EV: 9 | STR: 3 | WI: 8 | ARC: 9 | ACC: 11
Caretaker: A. P. Finch | iNPC: Yasha V.
ST: 9 | EV: 9 | STR: 3 | WI: 8 | ARC: 9 | ACC: 11
Caretaker: A. P. Finch | iNPC: Yasha V.
Letters From Mylene
EmmaLee reached for a piece of paper and dipped her quill in the ink. She probably dipped it a few more times than necessary while she thought of what to say. What questions did she even have? Far too many to write in one letter.
EmmaLee shoved the paper, the offensive idea, away from her and bolted out of her room, out the Hufflepuff common room, and out onto the Hogwarts grounds. Curfew be damned when her heart was in a thousand pieces on top of her vanity.
EmmaLee's quill fell out of her hand and left a large splotch where it landed on the paper. She had started writing stream-of-consciousness style without really thinking about what she was writing. Just writing whatever came to her mind and as she had written that last sentence, large droplets of water, of tears, had dropped upon the still-drying ink and smudged the last few words, "he doesn't feel it".May 2, 2024
Dear Tante Mylene,
It sounds like you all had a wonderful May Day. I have not celebrated it with Maman, but sometimes we would join in when the village would. It was always a lot of fun.
I don't mean to offend, but I can't say anything about my friends' blood status as I really do not care. That being said, I made a friend from Mahoutokoro named Sara and have become good friends with a girl from Ilvermorny named Kaya. We spent a bit of the last summer together and a good amount of time at the ball together. Sara was very helpful in assisting me when I injured my ankle and helping me to the hospital wing when we were ready to leave. I had a very lovely time overall with all of my friends.
I don't know how happy you will be to hear that it seems that Stephen does not return those particular feelings anyway, whatever they may be. We remain good friends, and we will remain good friends, but I don't think you have to worry about that moving in any, I guess, deeper direction. Aside from a few questions I would like to ask you, I would like to stop talking about it anymore, as I will not abandon a good friend because of my own silly feelings.
I just don't understand these feelings I have for him. I feel like I want to run to him and away from him at the same time. The mere thought of his face is distracting sometimes and I spend the rest of the day thinking about if I should write to him, determining that I should because that is what a good friend would do, and then sitting down and having nothing to say. Then, when he's right in front of me, I have even less to say. Our friendship used to be so easy and natural and now that I am aware of his effect on me, it seems to be anything but easy or natural.
Further, it is pretty clear that I am the only one of us having this problem. He is just the same. He is just as friendly, just as warm and unrestrained with compliments and affection, just as eager to spend time with me when we are in the same place as he ever was. He seems completely unaffected by whatever spark comes through his fingertips when we touch. I'm the only one acting odd and restrained because I can't stand the warmth of his arms when he doesn't feel it, too.
EmmaLee shoved the paper, the offensive idea, away from her and bolted out of her room, out the Hufflepuff common room, and out onto the Hogwarts grounds. Curfew be damned when her heart was in a thousand pieces on top of her vanity.
Fearless | Calming Presence | E.L. | Prodigal Transfiguration
ST: 9 | EV: 9 | STR: 3 | WI: 8 | ARC: 9 | ACC: 11
Caretaker: A. P. Finch | iNPC: Yasha V.
ST: 9 | EV: 9 | STR: 3 | WI: 8 | ARC: 9 | ACC: 11
Caretaker: A. P. Finch | iNPC: Yasha V.
Letters From Mylene
EmmaLee rubbed her eyes as she finished her letter to Mylene, sealed it in an envelope, walked it over to the owlery, and sent it off without thinking one more thing.May 3, 2024
Dear Tante Mylene,
It sounds like you all had a wonderful May Day. I have not exactly celebrated it with Maman, but sometimes we would join in when the village would. It was always a lot of fun.
I don't mean to offend, but I can't say anything about my friends' blood status as I really do not care. That being said, I made a friend from Mahoutokoro named Sara and have become good friends with a girl from Ilvermorny named Kaya. We spent a bit of the last summer together and a good amount of time at the ball together. Sara was very helpful in assisting me when I injured my ankle and helping me to the hospital wing when we were ready to leave. I had a very lovely time overall with all of my friends.
I don't know how happy you will be to hear that it seems that Stephen does not return those particular feelings anyway, whatever they may be. We remain good friends, and we will remain good friends, but I don't think you have to worry about that moving in any, I guess, deeper direction. I would like to stop talking about it anymore, as I will not abandon a good friend because of my own silly feelings.
As for taking Grandmother's offer of finding me a match, I don't really see any reason to accept or deny it right now, so she may look as she wishes. I just turned thirteen and I'm not really thinking that far into the future. When the time comes, it will come. How about we leave it at that?
How is everything going with the family? Are my cousins doing well with their studies? Please give me some news such as that.
All love,
Despite her fire and conviction last night that she was not going to let herself be upset over Stephen and the pressure from her extended family, the fire had gone out in a puff as she had collapsed on her bed and immediately fell asleep after she returned from her late night walk of shame.
EmmaLee awoke that morning feeling like death warmed over, had promptly decided to skip class for the first time ever, and went back to sleep. She awoke hours later and wrote a new letter to Mylene to keep her from "being afraid for [her]".
When she returned from the owlery, she crawled back under the covers and didn't come out until Monday morning, when Minx and her stomach would no longer allow her to lay in bed.
Fearless | Calming Presence | E.L. | Prodigal Transfiguration
ST: 9 | EV: 9 | STR: 3 | WI: 8 | ARC: 9 | ACC: 11
Caretaker: A. P. Finch | iNPC: Yasha V.
ST: 9 | EV: 9 | STR: 3 | WI: 8 | ARC: 9 | ACC: 11
Caretaker: A. P. Finch | iNPC: Yasha V.