Hello without a hello PV Sage Lilly

@Sage Lilly

27/10/2024

Good morning, or afternoon, or evening

I hope you are having a good day. My name is Silva, as you probably already know. You are Sage, right?

I am a muggle-born first year. I have two older sisters. I want to join the dueling club or broom racing. I live in York. I'm excited for Care for Magical Creatures Class.

Now that I've introduced myself, who are you? I know you're a Gryffindor, but other than that and your name I don't know anything about you.

It's very weird writing a letter to someone without even knowing them.

Sincerely,
Silva Melinora

Hello without a hello PV Sage Lilly
@Silva Melinora

31/10/2024

Hi
Dear Silva,

How are you settling in? I hope everything's going well for you. Having been a first-year once myself, the Castle had seemed so intimidating then. If there's anything I can help with, you need only ask.

It's nice to 'meet' you, Silva. I'm a third-year (would be my 4th had I not flunked a year, not something I'm proud of, I'm afraid) and a half-blood from both sides of the family. I have an older brother, Augustus and a younger brother, Turner. I live in a small town near Oxfordshire. I've been told I've quite a knack for Transfiguration. I have a Bewitched Night Stalker cat - I call him Soot, he is almost four-years old. Do you have any animal companions?

I understand how odd it must be writing to a total stranger, but I must admit that exchanging letters feel a lot less nerve-wracking than meeting in person? That's just me, I suppose.

You've mentioned you have two sisters - do they attend Hogwarts as well? Gus is 6 years older than I am and he is currently training to be an Auror, while Turner has yet to turn 11 and eagerly awaits his Hogwarts Letter. He loves dragons!

What do you look forward to in you Care of Magical Creatures class? Any particular creature in mind? I hope you don't mind the questions - I thought it'd help us get to know each other better.

Best R
Yours truly,
Sage

i want a storm i can dance in. i want an excuse to change my life.
⸙ | replies will be slow-going #698B69
STA 6 | EVA 5 | STR 6 | WIS 8 | ARC 9 | ACC 6

Hello without a hello PV Sage Lilly
Good day (My parents said I should start with that. Does it sound good?)

Dear Sage,

I'm settling in alright. I'm still getting lost every day, though.

Are the years really hard? Is it embarrassing to fail one? Will I fail a year? I really don't want to.

What's a Bewitched Night Stalker cat? I don't have any pets yet, but I'm trying to convince my parents to get me an owl. I think they'll cave after they realize how annoying it is for them to use the school owls.

My sisters are completely non-magical. One of them is named Ellia. She's 14. The other is named Nori and she's 17. As far as my family figures I'm not related to anyone magical.

What's an Auror? Are dragons actually real? I just sadly learned that I can't take Care for Magical Creatures until my 3rd year. I was really looking forward to that. I like animals a lot. Every one of them except snakes. Sort of ironic that has to be the symbol of Slytherin. Why do they make us get a book on magical creatures in 1st year if they won't let us take the class?

Sincerely,
Silva Melinora

Hello without a hello PV Sage Lilly
02/11/2024

Dear Silva,

Good day to you, too. (A polite greeting will get you places, indeed. But you don't have to be so formal with me!)

Don't worry, even I still get lost in the corridors sometimes. Back then, my greatest worry was getting the moving staircases to go where I wanted (and not fall off in the process) - all it takes is some practice. Likewise, you will eventually know your way around the school.

Hm... Not exactly? If you put in the work, you're sure to ace the exams. I'm embarrassed to say that I had neglected my studies to that point, so caught up as I was with personal matters - but never again. I know you'll do just fine, Silva! You're in Ravenclaw, after all.

To be honest, I think it's just a fancy way to call a black cat. (: I've heard talk that they are quite attuned to their owners, but I'm sure the breed is every bit as 'cat' as the others.

Having your very own owl would definitely ensure the speedy delivery of letters and parcels (Howlers, too - yikes). I'm sure the school owls have a lot on their beaks as it is. Owls are smart and companionable creatures, too. I'm sure your parents will be convinced to get you one. Or you could just save up for a pet like I did. My mum thought I wasn't ready for such a responsibility, so I had to prove my resolve to her - and it worked!

Do you get on well with your siblings? How did your family react when they knew you were magical? I mean, if you don't mind talking about it? You don't have to tell me, of course.

An Auror would be someone that catches the bad guys - namely, dark wizards - and locks them up in Azkaban. I believe the Muggle equivalent of an Auror would be a Police Officer? Close enough, I guess.

Dragons are real. There are only a few of them now, unfortunately. I've only seen them in the papers, naturally - encounters are rare (even for Dragonologists) and inherently dangerous. True enough, snakes do have a bad reputation for being sneaky and sly - I get why one might want to avoid them. Oh, right, I'm supposed to start CoMC this year! I've wondered about the same thing - perhaps it's to prepare one for the class? It could be just plain old required reading, who knows...

I hope you have a lovely rest of the day ahead.

Yours Truly,
Sage

i want a storm i can dance in. i want an excuse to change my life.
⸙ | replies will be slow-going #698B69
STA 6 | EVA 5 | STR 6 | WIS 8 | ARC 9 | ACC 6

Hello without a hello PV Sage Lilly
OOC: Agh so sorry this took so long. I forgot to check the owlery @Sage Lilly

Dear Sage

Hello

I'm glad I'm not going to fail. I was really worried about that. I understand about getting caught up in personal matters. I'm sure if you'd tried you'd have aced the exam. If you don't mind. What were the personal matters that distracted you.

I like cats, but I think dogs are better (sorry!). And I'm not trying to start World War 3 between cat and dog lovers by saying that. I'm glad you saved up. Having a pet sounds great. Also what are the types of owls? I've seen so many!

I really like my sister Ellia. My parents sometimes say we're the same person. Nori is kind of annoying sometimes but she's still really nice. My family was pretty mixed about the magic. Ellia and mom almost feinted but Nori and dad loved it.

Are there a lot of dark wizards and witches in the world? I don't think the police can do magic or chase evil wizards. Or lock them up in azkaban. What's azkaban?

I guess it makes sense that dragons are rare. Otherwise normal human being muggles would have found out about them. Given that Slytherins are supposed to be sneaky and sly it makes sense they'd want snakes as their mascot.

I wouldn't mind it being required reading. I read about a couple of the creatures. It's pretty cool! Did you know there's 10 types of dragons.

Sincerely,
Silva

P.S. Why did you cross out something about 'full of' and hoolers'

Hello without a hello PV Sage Lilly
a/n: no worries, life happens! @Silva Melinora

25th November 2024

Dear Silva,

That's the sad thing about it - I could have tried harder but I s'pose I was too sad and heartbroken at the time. Let's just say that I'd lost the friendship of someone dear to me? Despite all that we've been through, I end up wondering if I truly knew them at all. Oh, well - I've put it all behind me.

It's alright. We all have preferences, don't we? And hey, as long as you're an animal lover, there's no need to wage 'war'. There's lots of owl breeds out there - Snowy Owl, Tawny Owl, Scops Owl, just to name a few… it'd be great if you can read up on what sort of owl you'd like to get. Then, I would recommend going down to Diagon Alley and have a look at what the Magical Menagerie has to offer. The kindly old couple who owns the shop are nice and helpful and knowledgeable about pets - I'm sure they can tell you more than books ever could.

It sounds like you have a supportive family. Since my parents are from half-blood families, I was brought up in a fairly magical household. Father is absolutely fascinated by Muggle technology, though! We even have a several muggle pens displayed at home - how it works without magic is incredible, indeed. I can't wait until he finds out what phones can do these days!

To be honest, all I know is that there'll always be a couple of rotten apples spoiling the bunch. Where there's a good person, there'll always be someone corrupt and foul. I'm not saying Dark Magic is inherently bad - but if it's used to harm another? That's just criminal. Like a magical maximum security prison, Azkaban's a fortress guarded by Aurors somewhere in the North Sea. It's rumored to be inescapable, so I don't know how long the bad guys have to stay in there.

That's a lot of dragon breeds to look out for - here's hoping we get an actual sighting of one someday, from a relatively safe distance, of course.

What have you been up to these days? Also, do you have any foods you like or dislike? How about a favourite colour? I absolutely love desserts, bit of a sweet tooth, me. In fact, I've enclosed a Sugar Quill for you to munch on. They make great snacks in between classes.

Now that December is right around the corner, what are your plans for winter break? I'm going home for a week or two for Christmas and come right back to get some early reading done.

Fondly,
Sage

P.S. I didn't want to scare you - I had written 'fall off in the process' and 'Howlers'. Howlers are letters enchanted to loudly read out the written message in the sender's voice.

i want a storm i can dance in. i want an excuse to change my life.
⸙ | replies will be slow-going #698B69
STA 6 | EVA 5 | STR 6 | WIS 8 | ARC 9 | ACC 6

Hello without a hello PV Sage Lilly
Dear @Sage Lilly

Happy Thanksgiving! My parents sent me pumpkin pasties to eat on Thursday. I'm not sure if I'll have any room in my stomach though. The meals here have a lot of food and I don't ever have room for extras in my stomach. I'm also not sure how they got them... I didn't see any at Diagon Alley and they're not a muggle food.

I hope you make new friends. Friends are really important. I already have a couple and I hope to make more as the year progresses

I think I want to get a Morepork or Eastern Screech owl. They both seem really cute. Any thoughts on which I should get?

What's it like knowing you were magical? It came very suddenly for me. I can't imagine living in this world my whole life. Do you know how pens work? I tried to take mine apart but it doesn't work anymore. I think I can get my dad to send me some computers. Not the big kind of course but the little motherboards, or whatever they're called. He uses them to fix our heating system.

Why would dark magic not be evil? Isn't it called dark because it's evil. Are there times when it's not bad? If so how can you tell when it's bad and when it's ok? Also is Azkaban the only prison in the wizarding world? Are there lower security prisons you can be sent to?

I want to see a lot of the magical creatures. The dragons are cool but I do have my reservations about the Hungarian Horntails.

I've been slowly getting through classes. I've now learned a couple of spells along with several potions! The teachers give out a ton of homework but once you get used to it it isn't super bad. I love pumpkin pies and most soups. My favorite color is blue. Thanks for the sugar quill! It was delicious. I ate it during History of Magic.

I'm heading home for Christmas. I'm looking forward to seeing my family again.

Sincerely,
Sage

P.S. I'm glad my parents aren't magical cause they'll never be able to send me a Howler thingy.

Hello without a hello PV Sage Lilly
Dear @Silva Melinora,

I have to wonder… how do Muggle parents keep in touch with their magical children? I was thinking perhaps someone from the Ministry or a school representative helped them post you some goodies? It's the only way I can think of that makes some sort of sense.

I hope so, too. I'm always looking for opportunities to make friends… sort of? That's great Silva, good friends never let you get in trouble… alone!

I'm thinking a Morepork would be practical for parcels, but it costs 2 more galleons in comparison. The Eastern Screech appears to be a smaller breed and while it is super adorable, I have to question its ability to carry much weight. I'll leave the final decision to you.

Well, it felt normal, I suppose. Just like you, I can't imagine existing without magic. For example, household magic helps mum do several chores at once. It's a nifty trick getting dishes to wash themselves, or the laundry to fold itself in neat rows. I've heard people can cook with magic, too. We tend to have magical alternatives to Muggle practicalities, like tinctures for medicine - and though we don't have inventions that Muggles do, I suppose we have enchanted items that function similarly enough.

Of course, there are some things we do without magic - and since minors can't use magic outside school until they come of age - I rather like doing crafts the usual way.

I'm thinking pens work because they have a tiny inkwell inside them, no? I'm not really sure myself. A friend has introduced me to some 'gadgets' but I don't get how they work exactly. Something about Sigh-ents and Tack-gnaw-law-gee. Are all Muggles capable of doing such feats? If so, how brilliant!

Computers? What are those? Do they count a large number of things? How does a Motherboard fix things? It's unfortunate how most muggle devices don't work in school - I tried to bring one of those smart-phones but it just fizzled out the moment I got off the train… I don't think it'll work without why-fy, anyway!

I think any type of Magic has a use or a purpose, and how it's perceived depends largely on who wields it and how it is wielded. I'm not sure if it's a good analogy… but let's say there's a village infested with roaches and a particular curse gets rid of them… wouldn't you use it to clear the streets out? Still, I suppose you can use other things to solve the problem. Yes, I'm sure there are less-strict prisons besides Azkaban, though they're probably few and far between and much lesser-known.

Me too! I'd really like to see a Griffin and a Unicorn someday. Oh, and an Antipodean Opaleye, too! The Opaleye is said to have pearl-like scales and glittery eyes. They're a little less aggressive compared to Horntails, and much prettier-looking, too, I reckon.

Happy to hear you're getting used to school! Isn't learning just the best thing in the world? It's awfully satisfying to put what you've learnt to the test.

Duly noted! Expect a Christmas owl from me sometime soon. May you have the happiest of holidays, Silva; it is my hope that it'll always be full of love and laughter.

Fondly,
Sage

P.S. No Howlers for you, then! How lucky!

i want a storm i can dance in. i want an excuse to change my life.
⸙ | replies will be slow-going #698B69
STA 6 | EVA 5 | STR 6 | WIS 8 | ARC 9 | ACC 6

Hello without a hello PV Sage Lilly
Dear @Sage Lilly

I think they just use the school owls I send them. I'm not sure though. They seem to send me owls on a semi-regular basis with how often I send them an owl.

Maybe we can be friends! I'd like that. If you don't want to though, then that's ok.

Loving the idea of the eastern screech. It seems so cute! I think I'm going to get that one. I know it can't carry big packages, but it's still a good owl.

Oh. That just seems so weird to me. Being magical isn't a part of me yet. How does the magic work on its own. All the stuff I've learned so far is a pretty random short term thing. Also its science and technology. Those things are just stuff we use. For instance we use technology like a phone to text our friends (That's basically an ultra fast owl), and science is how we discover how the world around us works.

Never mind about the computers. Dad used them all. Computers are basically little brains. They do hard thinking for us and make it easier to work. They can calculate HUGE numbers. Bigger than we could count to if we counted our whole lives. Also it's wi-fi.

"Each person has inside a basic decency and goodness. If he listens to it and acts on it, he is giving a great deal of what it is the world needs most. It is not complicated but it takes courage." I thought this quote sounded cool. I feel like it fits with the situation. It was apparently said by some guy named Pablo Casols (Is it Casals... I can't remember).

Lovely! Those all sound awesome. I want to see a demiguise. Apparently they can turn invisible. Don't you think that would be awesome.

Yeah. School starts out hard, but it slowly gets funner and easier. Or at least it has for me so far.

Bye!

Sincerely,
Silva