Secret Notes PV Avis Marlong

On her next visit to the Owlery, Novalie could barely contain her excitement.
Had someone found her note? And more importantly-- had they responded?
The moment she stepped into the cold, stone-walled place, she spotted it: the piece of paper tucked in the crack looked different than before!

With quick fingers, the redhead pulled it out and unfolded it, revealing a surprisingly long message scribbled on the back of her original note. Novalie wasted no time diving into the text, half-expecting a lighthearted confession about a childhood crush or a prank someone had never dared to admit. But as she read on, her smile gradually faded, replaced by a look of concern.

So this Lengen hasn’t been to school since that incident? And they weren’t even at fault?

Novalie frowned, pondering the situation for a moment before taking out another piece of paper and beginning to write her reply:

Reducio

Dear Lengen,

well, your story took a dark turn.
Did I understand correctly - you haven't been to school since first grade? Were you homeschooled after that? Oh my god, that sucks, not being able to hang out with your friends and stuff.
At my school, kids fought and got hurt sometimes, too, but they always came back to class the next day. It sounds like your momma was a scaredy-cat! But why didn’t you tell her what actually happened? Were you afraid your friend would get into trouble? Or... do you have some anger issues? I mean, like, no judgment here - I don’t even know who you are.. but it does sound weird.

Anyway, I believe you when you say that it wasn’t you who kicked that boy -it was just an accident, right?

So, what now? Does your momma know the full story? She let you come to Hogwarts after all, so she must trust you more now, right?

- Rose

By now, Novalie found herself climbing up to the Owlery almost every day, eager to see if this Lengen had replied. Even though several days had passed without an answer, her hope remained intact.
As she trudged up the stairs again today, she couldn't help but wonder why there wasn’t some magical shortcut - like an elevator wizard-style or something. Why did everything have to be so much effort? Gosh..

Finally reaching the top, the girl immediately checked the small crack where she’d hidden her last note. Her heart skipped when she saw that the paper looked different this time!
Could this mean she had a response?

With a surge of excitement, she quickly pulled it out, unfolded it and started reading.

Hmm... from what Lengen wrote, it seemed they came from a Muggle family too - after all, they mentioned learning math. Yeah - about that - why didn’t Hogwarts teach math? Not that she was complaining, though. If she had to choose between dry math lessons and flying-fun, the decision was a no-brainer.

Still, she thought it odd that Lengen seemed content with being homeschooled. Novalie couldn’t imagine ever liking something like that.
She replied (on a rather questionable piece of paper she’d found crumpled in her pocket):

Reducio

Dear Lengen,

you really enjoyed homeschooling? I can see how it has its perks and stuff, like being more focused and not getting distracted during lessons, but where’s the fun in that? I guess that's more common for wealthy families. I’ve never been homeschooled myself, so I won’t judge it too harshly. It's just the way my friends and I always thought about it, I suppose.

Now that you mention it, why don’t we learn the usual subjects here, like Math or English? Maybe they’re not as important in the wizarding world after all. Flying and doing magic in general is way more fun anyway, right?

By the way, why did Ellie leave? Do you still keep in touch with her secretly or something?

- Rose

The.. ink had smudged more than Novalie intended. Oh well, it was still legible, wasn’t it?
With a shrug, she tucked the note back into the crack and left the Owlery.

I made these notes with Canva If you like, I can show you how. Let me know through Owls or Discord

A new day, a new note!
As always, Novalie headed straight for the crack in the wall. Today, she was thrilled to find fresh writing on her last letter. Grinning, she began to read and soon a chuckle escaped her. Lengen had asked what kind of adult would be okay with kids knocking each other off brooms.
Well, clearly their own mother wasn’t okay with it, considering she’d practically kept Lengen hostage at home after believing they’d pushed a boy off a climbing frame. Novalie couldn’t help but find it hilarious, though she decided not to write that down. Lengen reminded her of Rapunzel, stuck in a tower. Did Lengen have long hair? Their name kind of sounded like it, right? Lengen... Length? Novalie giggled to herself.

She pulled out a fresh piece of paper and began writing:

Reducio

Hey Lengen!

Yeah, I’m not sure about that either. My mom can’t do magic and as for my father.. well, I doubt he could either. At least, my mom never mentioned it and I’m pretty sure she would’ve noticed!
My childhood was pretty cool, even if it wasn’t all too magical. The place where I grew up was full of mysteries and adventures - abandoned houses to explore, strange things to find. My friends and I would always meet up after school and stay out until late because it was so much fun. I kind of wish I could find someone here at Hogwarts to do those things with. My friends are great, but they’re not too keen on bending the rules. I mean, why are the rules so strict anyway? We’ve got magic now! Why aren’t we allowed to visit the Forbidden Forest or visit Hogsmeade?
Good thing I have a fake permission slip.
Have you been to Hogsmeade yet? I bet you have! You don’t seem like someone who follows the rules much. In fact, I picture you as someone who breaks them just out of spite! I mean that in the best way, of course. You must be really cool. Do you wear leather jackets?

- Rose

With a playful smile, Novalie slipped the note back into the crack. She hadn’t meant any of it in a bad way - just pure curiosity and a little admiration for the mysterious Lengen.

Yawning, Novalie made her way up to the Owlery, her movements sluggish. Like most nights, she hadn’t slept much. She’d been sneaking around the school grounds until late, only to get caught yet again. Detention awaited her after lessons today. With a sigh, she rubbed her eyes and pulled the paper from the crack in the wall, a soft smile spreading across her lips.

Reducio

'Hey Lengen!

Oh, great question!
The things we found were like little treasures! Once, we discovered some old jewelry. A friend’s dad said it wasn’t worth anything though and took it away, but it looked cool and we were sad to see it go. We also found old, fancy clothes, most had holes or smelled funny, but we still dressed up and played pretend. There were also so many items we couldn’t even identify, like broken electronic gadgets or letters with unreadable writing. We always imagined those letters were written in mystical languages... maybe they actually were, haha!

The strangest things we ever found were syringes. We weren’t exploring an abandoned hospital or something like that, really, just your average deserted house. I’ve always wondered why someone would have so many of those lying around..

Adventures with books? That sounds kind of lame. How can books make you feel adventurous when you’re just sitting there in silence, staring at pages? But hey, to each their own. I won’t judge.

Yes, we’re only eleven - that’s even more reason to get into a little trouble, Lengen! I’m pretty sure we’ll grow up to be serious and boring soon enough, so we might as well live life now, right? It’s cool that you turned into a sneaky ninja, though. My friends always say I’m too loud, which is probably why I get caught so often when trying to sneak out. Detentions are exhausting. Maybe I should learn to be more like you. Any tips for being sneakier?
And what did you mean by 'unspoken rules'? Like rules that don’t exist officially but still do? That sounds weird...

I’m tempted to ask what you dress like, considering you say you don’t look like a typical rule-breaker. Maybe a flowery dress or something sweet to hide your rebellious side? But don’t actually tell me! I like that we’re mysterious quill pals. Sometimes I wonder if you’ll reply to my letters, and I’m always so happy when you do.

- Rose'

After jotting down her thoughts on a fresh piece of paper, she tucked it back into the crevice and hurried off to make it to her first lesson of the day.

OOC- Writing Avis coming up to the owlery is getting a bit repetitive, I may just write the letter...

Ro-
That's actually really cool, but I couldn't imagine dressing up in old clothes I'd found. There would be so many germs on those. When I was younger, I didn't make up a new language, exactly, but I made up a cipher to write with when I didn't want anyone else to read it. It wasn't a difficult one, for example Ls were basically upside down hs, but I made up new punctuation and such to. Its pretty interesting actually, that once I used it for a while, I could read it as if it were just writing.

Syringes, huh? Thats sort of strange, but maybe the person just had diabetes or something. Diabetes is an illness where your body can't quite make the right things it needs, you have to inject it...in case you aren't muggle-born.

Haha yeah I suppose you are just staring at pages. But the stories within the pages are much more exciting than the stories I could have outside. I won't judge the fact that you trespassed on abandoned houses:)

You are never too old to break rules.

Tips for being sneakier? Well, here's one. Don't let people overestimate you. In fact, its best when they underestimate you. If they don't realize what you know, they can't defend against it. If they can't imagine you sneaking out after curfew, they are much more likely to believe a story you've given. Being sneaky isn't just about how quiet you can walk, its about the build-up. Its about getting straight Os so the professors like you. It's about laughing at the Prefect's(or your parent) lame jokes so they subconsciously overlook the slightly suspicious thing you doing. Being sneaky is about understanding how to get people where you want them.

Unspoken rules are the reasons why a rule may be given. For example, if a teacher gives you home work to study for a test coming up, why are they doing it? To get you to get a good grade. I won't study, but I'll still get a good grade. Thats a pretty bad example, I'll see if I can find a better one for my next letter.

I dress simplistically. In my Hogwarts uniform, or in a plain shirt and leggings. Don't worry, that shouldn't give anything away of who I am. If I were to dress in flowers, yes it would hide it for a bit, but it would be so far to the other side that it would only take a trigger for everyone to see right through it. To dress simplistically is to dress inconspicuously, and to dress inconspicuously is to be overlooked. I do, however, have a vice that makes me stand out a bit, because of my sister. I can't tell you that though, but I love the fact that I have it. Sometimes you just gotta do something out there, you know? It makes you more human.

I'll never not respond to your letter, my parents have inground too deeply politeness. (Another great way to be sneaky, be polite, but not obviously polite.)

-Lengen