A Name on the Envelope
12th May, 2026
Owlery, Mahoutokoro
Mentions: @Claire Ducasse
Japanese -English - Thoughts
The package arrived a little over two weeks after.
Hikari recognised the Fujimoto crest stamped into the wax seal. He had gathered up the pile of post and carried it back to his dormitory before opening it. Tearing into family packages in the middle of the owlery felt mildly disrespectful.
The wrapping gave way easily under his hands.
The sketchbook was everything he had been waiting for.
For a few moments, Hikari allowed himself a rare sense of satisfaction in just holding it. Back then, he'd sent out a request for the sketchbook in a fit of stubbornness, and had fully expected to be turned down. In fact, he'd expected an owl telling him that his current fall of grades was hardly enough justification for a new sketchbook.
Perhaps his mother's opinion had prevailed.
Or perhaps his father had actually given him a second chance to prove himself.
That would've been his mother's opinion prevailing too.
His fingers traced the book's edge delicately. His grades had dipped significantly in that time he'd had his art supplies confiscated. It was nothing too disastrous but enough to draw attention. Enough for questions to be asked.
Fine.
He would improve his grades, fill every page, and prove that drawing had never been the problem in the first place.
He'd even improve his artistic skills while he was at it.
Before he could get too carried away, his attention shifted to the crest-stamped envelope that had been carelessly dropped to the side.
The satisfaction dimmed.
His mother wrote letters. Hayato filled entire pages with stories that wandered nowhere in particular. Tomoe's usually contained more drawings than words.
Official correspondence belonged exclusively to the head of the Fujimoto family.
If his father was writing to him directly, there was always a reason.
Setting the sketchbook carefully aside, Hikari picked up the letter and broke the seal.
His father's letter was approximately two lines. It spoke nothing of his dipping grades or the sketchbook. Instead it held on single instruction.
His eyes moved steadily across the page.
Once.
Then a second time.
A sketchbook in one hand. An obligation in the other.
Ducasse..? Hikari had never heard of the family in question. Was that an English name? It sounded rather French, but Hikari couldn't be sure. His father's letter mentioned nothing besides the fact that they were purebloods and the person he was meant to interact with was the eldest daughter of the family.
Hikari read the letter a third time.
Then glanced at the brand new sketchbook that lay near his hand.
It would have to wait, he supposed.
Reluctantly, he placed the sketchbook on the corner of his desk and drew a sheet of parchment in front of him.
Not quite the blank page he'd been hoping to fill that evening, but a blank page nonetheless.
What exactly was one supposed to write to the daughter of a family he had never heard of?
Dipping his pen into the ink bottle, Hikari began to write.15th June, 2025
Ms Claire Ducasse,
I hope this letter finds you well.
I am Hikari Fujimoto, the oldest son of Takeshi Fujimoto of the Fujimoto family of Japan. My father recently informed me that our families wished for us to begin corresponding. As such, I write this letter to introduce myself to you.
I am currently a second-year student at Mahoutokoro School of Magic in Japan. Most of my time is occupied by my studies, though I also enjoy quieter activities when I have the opportunity. I am not particularly experienced when it comes to writing letters of this nature, so I am unsure what information would be considered relevant.
If you are inclined to respond, I would be interested in hearing about your school and the subjects you enjoy.
Respectfully,
Hikari Fujimoto
A Name on the Envelope
By Ellie Randensmith
@Hikari Fujimoto
Claire was excited to receive her mail today. Two days ago she had received a letter from her family. It contained the usual; we all miss you, here is what happened in the last few weeks to a month since we last wrote, and how's school. But it had something more.
Apparently she was to converse with the son of the Family of Fujimoto a pure-blood family, like hers. The letter mentioned that her father had a hand in finding the person. Claire assumed it was some business meeting, and her father and whoever-he-was-dealing-with had hit it off and began chatting about kids. Maybe this Hikari Fujimoto boy was shy and it was secretly a way for him to get out of his shell. Or maybe they were both so alike that her father and whoever-he-was-making-a-deal-with thought it was a shame that they didn't know each other.
Claire literally hadn't heard of this boy till now. She didn't even know what ethnicity he was or school he went to. The name sounded Asian, but there were a lot of countries over there and the names all sounded the same to her. But that didn't matter. The more people you knew the better, in her opinion. She would be glad to write to this boy, and not just to please her parents.
"Yes!" Claire thought victoriously today when she noticed a letter with a strange seal on it. She walked to her dorm room and laid on her bed. She was on her belly, her head at the bottom and her feet near her pillow. There was something cozy about opening up mail in one's own bed.
Claire read it.
"Oh, thanks. I wondered. And close to my age too!" she thought-answered.I am currently a second-year student at Mahoutokoro School of Magic in Japan.
"That sounds like my first reason may be correct. He does sound a little bit shy," she thought in response to that bit.I am not particularly experienced when it comes to writing letters of this nature, so I am unsure what information would be considered relevant.
She was very inclined to respond. She almost got out a sheet of parchment then and there, but remembered an old trick her mother had taught her. You had to be patient and not seem overly-friendly with shyer people or they will think you are too much. Claire had to pretend that she wasn't eager to reply.
Two days later she couldn't wait any longer. She had been mind-drafting her reply several times in the past two days, and now she was so excited she couldn't contain herself and began to reply, while reminding herself to try to keep it his length, another trick with people who didn't like really friendly people.
Claire took quill to parchment and wrote, while remembering to be polite, formal, and not to ask too many questions:
June 17th 2026
Hikari Fujimoto,
I received your letter and am happy to begin corresponding with you as our parents wish.
To answer your question I attend l'Academie de Magie Beauxbatons or to say in English Beauxbatons Academy of Magic. I am, in fact, French as you likely have guessed from my surname.
My favorite school subject it Charms. Not to boast, but my teachers think I am quite good. A close second of mine is flying. I am on the racing team here. I love the thrill and the power flying hard brings you.
You probably have already been told that my family is a well-respected line of pure-bloods. You may have been told that I am the eldest. I am also the only daughter, seeing that I have twin brothers that are still little kids. I like them a lot and we get along very well.
Do you have any siblings? Do you like them? Are you on a sports team?
Yours Truly,
Claire Ducasse
Don't be fooled by my looks, blood, and riches; I am actually really nice.
Visit Claire's Codes!
Lillian McMason
A Name on the Envelope
12th May, 2026
Owlery, Mahoutokoro
Mentions: @Claire Ducasse
Japanese -English - Thoughts
The owl arrived only a few days after.
Earlier than he'd expected.
Hikari set the bundle of books he'd been carrying on his desk before untying the letter from the owl. The seal was one he did not recognise, but the name etched on the envelope told him all that he needed to know.
Claire Ducasse.
He lingered for a second, looking at the weird gold crest on the seal. He wasn't sure what to expect from a letter that wasn't from his mother or Hayato.
The parchment unfolded neatly beneath his hands.
He read it twice.
His father, Hikari realised, had given him little information beyond the other family's social standing. Hikari found himself learning the rest from what Claire had written in the letter.
Beauxbatons. Hikari had never been curious enough to know much about it.
The family itself was French, just as he'd suspected.
She'd started off by answering the questions he'd asked. Whether intentional or not, it made the conversation easier to continue. Hikari spent considerably less time wondering what to write next than he had while drafting his first letter.
The rest seemed... deliberate.
Charms.
Flying.
Her family.
Three details. Not enough to form an impression, but enough to understand what she'd considered worth mentioning to a complete stranger. Or perhaps that was simply how people introduced themselves. Either way, Hikari wasn't entirely certain how much of it reflected Claire herself, and how much reflected what she had been taught was appropriate to tell the son of another pureblood family.
His attention lingered on third paragraph. Racing. Something that they coincidentally had in common. Yet, what actually stood out to Hikari was how the other approached flying in the first place.
Hikari found himself rereading the sentence. I love the thrill and the power flying hard brings you.
An interesting choice of words.
Flying had never been about either of those things.
Speed was a means to an end. Precision mattered far more than exhilaration. Power without control simply lost races.
He wondered, briefly, whether that difference came from their schools, or from the racers themselves.
The questions she'd asked were straightforward enough.
Siblings. Sports.
He could answer those.
Dipping his quill into the inkpot, Hikari drew a fresh sheet of parchment towards himself.18th June, 2026
Ms. Ducasse,
Thank you for your letter.
I am pleased to learn more about Beauxbatons and your family. My father had provided me with little information beyond your family's name, so I appreciated your introduction.
To answer your question, I have a total of three younger siblings, one younger brother and a pair of twins. On an average, they are much more social than I am, but we get along quite well. My brother, in particular, rarely seems to run out of things to say.
It is nice to see that you enjoy charms. If your teachers believe you excel in the subject, then it cannot really be called boasting. My own preference lies towards Transfiguration.
I am on my school's racing team. I realised, reading your letter, that I have always approached racing as something requiring precision more than excitement. Perhaps that is simply a difference in perspective.
Respectfully,
Hikari Fujimoto