An Ocean Away PV M.Macedo

Writing as Manuela Macedo from Castelobruxo.

“If I seem nocturnal and imperfect, look at me again.
Because tonight, I looked at myself, as if you were looking at me.”
—Hilda Hilst, Brazilian poet, "Ten Appeals to a Friend"

When Manu and Illowy had exchanged mailing addresses at the end of the second week of August, Manu had stuffed the scrap of parchment emblazoned with Illowy's handwriting into the side pocket of her trunk, where she was sure it would be safe. Except she was not the neatest packer of objects, and so upon unloading all of her things back in the Castelobruxo housing at the start of term, she realised that she could not find the parchment. Merda. Shit.

Of course, she could have just written to Hogwarts and written "Illowy" on the front part. Except... well, she'd sort of forgotten Illowy's last name, and Manu didn't know how common of a name that was. Also, there was always the fear that Illowy didn't want her to write. So for the first two weeks of her fourth year at school, Manu wrestled with the idea of writing or not writing, with not writing temporarily winning over. Until a very exhausted-looking owl tumbled through the window of her lodging-house, bearing an envelope emblazoned with Manuela Macedo and sealed with a beautiful symbol of wax and flowers.

Manu grabbed the owl, so fast she was surprised she didn't accidentally strangle it, and tore open the letter. Her hungry eyes scanned over the paragraphs, only taking in a few words here and there - Sorting Ceremony, Transfiguration, dueling club, be safe - until finally landing on a familiar signature on the bottom line.


She wrote in purple - of course she wrote in purple. Manu barked out a brusque laugh that was somewhere between relieved and exhilarated, attracting a confused, or perhaps concerned, look from one of her roommates, who was laying on her bed nearby. Manu paid the girl no mind. She was already scrambling for a piece of parchment and the nearest pot of ink, never mind the colour. Where was her quill? Oh, right, tucked into her hair, keeping the bun intact. Manu yanked it out with only a mild sting to her scalp, her frizzy dark locks tumbling free round her shoulders as she dipped the quill in the ink and put it to parchment.

domingo
18º de setembro

Manu tsked at herself, remembering. Right. English.

domingo Sunday
18º de setembro 18th September
2022

Dear Illowy,
I am very happy to receive your letter. To tell the truth, I lost your address when returned to Castelobruxo and was hoping you would write.

I think the phenomenon of the Sorting Ceremony is very strange because we don't have anything like that here in Castelobruxo. Here, all the students are the same, although we take different classes as the years pass. I sleep in the same lodgings as some of the other girls in my year here, in the house for lodgings. Makes it easier to do our chores like this when we are not in class - we all have different chores, as I'm sure you do at the Hogwarts, so we're in the lodgings at different times.

But my roommate watches me write this letter, so not every time we get privacy.

How is the Hogwarts? I never have been, although I have seen pictures.

My favourite classes are of Zoology of Magic - I don't know how it is written in English - and of languages. I take both of the language classes that are offered here, Quechua and Ch’olti’, because in the coming year I can take a class of Astronomy if I speak Ch’olti’ - our fifth year of school starts our Superior school. I take the Transfiguration as an optional class because I duel also!

I did not know you duel. We would make a great duel team, do you not think? But I'm tempted to just throw away my wand and punch my opponents in the nose, sometimes. I'm sure I would break my own nose in return, but I will have a skilled healer to look after me, no?

I will look forward to that when I see you again. Safety to you as well.

Looking for your response,
Manu Macedo

Writing in English was about as much of Manu's strong suit as Quodpot was, but that was that. Hopefully, Illowy would write her back, and she'd improve at English at the same time as she would be able to talk to the pretty witch from Hogwarts.

Nervous for some reason, Manu begrudgingly fed the owl some treats from her roommate's desk before tying the letter back onto its leg and allowing it to flap out the window. She watched it fly away, her heart as aflutter as its wings.

@Illowy Magnard

The whole school had been aflutter for weeks in preparations for the Fall Ball the coming Saturday. Even Illowy was trying to get into the spirit of everything, though it was always a guarantee that without fail something was bound to go wrong. Illowy usually became a wallflower at event like this; watching, waiting, anticipating for whatever disaster was bound to happen. However, right now all of that was in the back of her mind as she hurried back from the Owlry with a letter in hand. With her house being, well, technically underwater, the owls didn't typically come directly to her, she had to fetch them; and she'd been terribly diligent to visit as often as she possibly could in the event that Manu responded.

The snake scurried past twittering girls showing off their glittering gowns, chittering away about their dates or the music they thought would play or other anticipated events at the ball, but Illowy was on a one track mindset as she sat down at her little desk and rushed to open the letter.

The girl wasn't a slow reader by any means, but she scanned over it for a long time, reading and rereading the deep green words. The color was nearly exactly the same as her house color, and it seemed like her friend's English had improved a little since the last time she'd spoken to the girl.

The letter wasn't very personal, and rather simple in content, but Illowy couldn't deny how exciting and sentimental she was feeling towards it as being her first letter back. Additionally, the note towards the end, that Manu was looking forward to her next letter, while of course polite also brought the feeling of... what was that feeling exactly? Being special, maybe? Regardless, she didn't want to waste time since it seemed these letters had to make quite a long journey to their respective destinations. Illowy drew her inkwell to her as well as pulling her stationary free from the desk drawer to write.

Tuesday
4 October, 2022
Dear Manu,
Its alright about losing the address. It happens to the best of us!

I guess I never thought about the Sorting like that before. What house a person gets sorted into is about as engrained into our world here as whatever Quidditch team you support. Its quite the thing. We don't really have chores though... not really unless you get detention. I mean, of course we have to help do our parts to keep our House tidy, but the House Elves really do most of the real work.

Its after classes right now, so most of the girls are back in the dorm before its time for supper, but no one is paying any attention to me writing. The Fall Ball is this Saturday so its an absolute madhouse of glitter and ribbons. Honestly, I'm not entirely looking forward to it. I'm not exactly a social person, so I always end up wandering around until something bad happens. Its mad how often something bad happens at a Hogwarts party.

Here we call Zoology of Magic just Magic Zoology. Basically the same thing. I'm not very good with animals other then my cat. I wish Hogwarts offered languages. We have a runes class and learn a little etymology when we're taught new spells, but its not the same thing, but I think it would be fun to learn a third language. I can also speak Irish, but its not really useful in most cases. Its interesting that transfiguration is optional for you. Its required for us starting in our first year, but I've been a year ahead in it since Second Year, same with Charms.

That's amazing that you duel too! Do you have a favorite spell that you like to use during a match? Maybe when I see you again, you and I can practice together. No dropping your wand though! I would hate to see your face all bloodied, even if I can just heal you. Its too lovely of a face to be harmed like that.

I hope you're enjoying the school year so far, and I cannot wait for your next letter. Be Safe!

Your Friend,
Illowy Magnard

It felt a little long. Was it too long? Did it matter since this was their only means to communication? Especially since it took so long to go back and forth. It was fine. Who would really fault her about it as long as Manu didn't mind. She wasn't going to over think it... was it too personal to put 'your friend' at the signature line? No. No. Not gonna overthink it.

Illowy folded the papers and slipped it into it's envelope, taking care to seal it carefully with her stamp and set the letter aside once the envelope was fill it, placing it atop her books with her school bag. First thing tomorrow, before she went to breakfast, she'd send the letter out.

Writing as Manuela Macedo from Castelobruxo.

“If I seem nocturnal and imperfect, look at me again.
Because tonight, I looked at myself, as if you were looking at me.”
—Hilda Hilst, Brazilian poet, "Ten Appeals to a Friend"

First a week passed, then another. The end of September came and went like a hurricane, bringing with it slightly warmer temperatures of the first days of October. The eighteenth arrived, marking a month since she'd received her first and only letter from Illowy, and yet no second correspondence appeared.

It looked, to Manu, as though her summer healer, ghostly beauty, and would-be pen pal had simply forgotten about her. To someone who considered herself very difficult to forget, though usually for more outspoken reasons than hoping the Hogwarts girl had enjoyed her company at least enough to write her back, this was a gut punch.

So Manu was already feeling pretty rough about herself on the nineteenth, when she showed up to her duelling practice only to get smacked on her arse by a particularly nasty offensive spell from a sixth-year, land horribly on her wand arm, and both feel and hear the tell-tale snap of bone beneath her. She'd nearly blacked out from the pain alone, but had managed to stay conscious, at least, though perhaps "strong" wasn't the right word to describe it, all the way to the hospital wing so that Castelobruxo's resident Healer could watch her choke down a dose of Skele-Gro and sit her in a bed by a half-open window to "keep an eye on" for a little while.

It was there - sitting by her lonesome on a stark hospital bed, clutching her broken arm and trying to not grimace in pain so that the ill first-year across the way wouldn't think her a weakling - that the owl found her. The now-familiar purple signature, its loops and curves memorised by Manu's keen hazel eyes as it scanned the letter that she'd hung on the wall near her bed in her lodgings, at the bottom was enough to make her smile for the first time all day, though it did nothing to soothe her pain. Perhaps Illowy could have done that in person, if she'd been there.

Though her wand arm, and therefore her writing arm, was supposed to stay still, Manu could hardly wait to reply. She requested writing tools from the Healer, who begrudgingly supplied them - though the ink this time was black, and not her usual emerald. Ah, well. The sooner she could get this letter out, the better.

Lucky, then, that though Manu typically used her right hand for everything, she could at least get out a sort of chicken scratch with her left. Not quite her usual handwriting, but legible yet.

Wedsday
19th October
2022

Dear Illowy,
Lucky you have written now, your letter is a distraction much needed. Do you remember that I said I would do what is possible so I do not become injured? I already have broken this promise and I am now in the hospital ward. Do not worry, darling - it is only my arm, and already I drank the potion to heal it. For this I apologise, never the lest, about my penmanship.

Hope you enjoyed the dance. I am acquainted with many students who attended from Castelobruxo, and I am sorry I could not go. I am studying my final year of the Fundamental, and I had to stay here to concentrate on my classes, however much I would have loved to see you. I hope you will not take offence at my absence at the ball. By today I know that it is over, and I hope you enjoyed it. I am sure that you looked very beautiful.

I am learning Quechua and Ch'olti' in the classes, but I too speak Spanish and Portuguese as my native languages. My mother is from Argentina, so all our family are bilingual. And also in the non-magical schools in Brazil, before the Castelobruxo, they teach us English. The most difficult are English and Ch'olti'. I didn't hear Irish before - it is difficult to learn or not?

We should duel together next time we meet, although I think I like to have you as a team-mate not an enemy. To harm you would cause me great pain. More, my favourite spell to use is the spell to make fire, Incendio Duo. In the next year, the fifth year, we will learn the Tria version, for which I am very excited.

I have just realised that I do not know in what year you are at the school. Or how the years work at the Hogwarts. You already know that I am in the fourth year, but what of you? And of your Sorting, in what were you classified? I know from my friend, Aly, that there are claws of ravens and doors of griffins for classifications. Of what are you? Talk to me about you, and I will listen.

I hope that you visit the hospital ward less than I have until your next letter!

I'll be waiting for your reply,
Manu Macedo

Manu, of course, didn't know that the word darling was not quite used in the same platonic way in English as its translation, querida, was in Portuguese. With that being said, if she had known, perhaps she would have changed it... or perhaps she would not have.

After all, the Hogwarts girl had called her face lovely. A loving face? Did that mean that she found her face kind to look at, or kind looking at others? Whilst Manu folded her letter, addressed it, and attached it once more to the exhausted owl's leg, she pondered this. Unfortunately, she didn't ponder it quickly enough, and the owl took off before she could so much as think over any of the things she'd so rashly said.

Resigning herself to wait another month to hear back from Illowy, and vaguely frustrated with herself for not just waiting until she was in a right state of mind and not half-delirious from the pain of Skele-Gro, Manu flopped back onto her pillows with a groan. Which only made her arm hurt more, so she resolved to not do that any longer.

@Illowy Magnard

To say the ball had been a disaster was an understatement if one was being honest; but that was highly typical. Part of her had hoped somehow Manu would make an appearance. That would have at least made the majority of the dance bearable until the kick off; especially when she'd seen that there had been some of the other students from the Brazilian school had visited for the festivities. Then again, maybe she was sort of happy that Manu hadn't come, not wanting the other to have been in harms way. Illowy had a habit of always getting directly involved in the fire when it inevitably happened and she shuddered at the idea of her new friend following suit and possibly getting hurt. It was okay if Illowy got hurt, but not Manu. She wanted Manu safe. Regardless, Illowy was quick to recover from the absolute chaos and just keep to continuing to work on figuring where this whole thing was stemming from while she waited on the next owl.

She also had duelling practice to keep her distracted, but if she were being honest with herself, her heart wasn't in it the way it typically was. Usually, duelling was everything to her; the rush of being blasted with spells, the pride of taking another student down a peg... but her last match something in her broke and she choked mid-match. She hadn't quite recovered from the shame of that, much less been able to face her teammate. The girl was starting to pull away from a lot of things that had before brought her joy. Between the drama of the ball and the drama at home, the girl was becoming an island unto herself.

At least there was some reprieve from her teenage angst when she finally got the distraction she so desperately needed. Especially today. It was Halloween, her beloved, missing cousin's birthday. She needed this today, to think about something good and happy somewhere in the world when she finally received her reply from Manu.

The girl was curled up with her cat Killian on the bed as she read through the letter, having decided to stay back in the dorms for dinner instead of going out with everyone and enjoy the holiday. It was nice to have proper quiet for once. Her brow furrowed though, seeing the difference in ink and hand on the letter and felt her stomach drop a little when Manu wrote about getting hurt and being in the infirmary. That was quickly eased though. Darling. It wasn't uncommon for such a term of endearment to be used casually, but she'd certainly never had someone say it to her, and she felt her cheeks burn reading it over and over.

Darling. Darling. Darling.

Maybe it was a common term of endearment there too. Surely it was.

Wanting to take advantage of the privacy she had while she had it, Illowy moved from the bed, much to the shagrin of her cat, to sit at her desk. If she hurried she could probably get the letter out before it was time for curfew.

Monday
31 October, 2022

Dearest Manu,
I could just scold you for having gotten hurt so badly to be in the infirmary, but I'm glad that you're alright and I'm sure by now back to yourself and right as rain. I do hope that it wasn't because you were fighting someone though, and that it was only an accident. I'd hate to think a real fight would've gone so far.

The dance was alright. I'm not very good at big parties like that, I never know what to do with myself. I'll admit, I was missing you at the ball, but I understand needing to get your studies in order first. I would have done the same thing.

My mother's whole family can speak Irish, but we mostly only speak it with each other or other Irish speakers. But not everyone who is Irish can speak it, at least not very well. I imagine it is sort of a hard language. Celtic languages aren't rooted in Latin like English and Spanish, so a lot of people think its hard to pick up. What was Muggle school like? I have friends that went to Muggle school before coming here, but I've never been. My mother did my schooling before Hogwarts.

If we duel, you won't have to worry about harming me. I'm tougher then I look! If anything, I'd be more worried about myself accidently hurting you. But I think it would be fun, either being teammates or opponents with you. I think the spell I use the most in dueling, aside from the Incendio (I can assure the Tria is quite the thing!), is probably Flipendo.

I didn't realize I hadn't told you. I'm a Fifth Year now, but I'm working on Sixth Year charms and Transfigurations. My House is Slytherin. The green and silver one with the snake emblem. I don't know that there's really much I could say to you about me. I'm on the dueling team, I like to draw and paint, I play the violin and I dance ballroom and ballet... I have a cat named Killian, and I study a lot. Mostly all I do is study. Nothing terribly exciting to tell honestly. What about you? Will you tell me more about yourself?

Please try to keep yourself out of the hospital wing! I would much prefer the next time I get to see you, that you will be all in one piece and alright. Be safe!

Your friend,
Illowy Magnard

With a short flourish she signed her name before going through the ritual of preparing the letter to be sent. She tried not to dwell on the idea that Manu had been in the infirmary, and possibly a little annoyed that the other hadn't gone into detail as to what had happened or how bad it was, but she figured if it had been something truly severe, Manu would have said something... maybe... Illowy wouldn't have. No matter, whatever it was, it was over by now and there was no sense in pressing about it and making herself come off as pushy.

Whatever, she needed to hurry up and get going before it was too late to go to the Owlry. Soon her housemates would be back and she still had some homework she needed to complete before classes the next morning. Illowy grabbed her coak, holding the envelope between her lips as she walked and fiddled with the clasp at the same time. Scottish Octobers were chilly, and she had a couple outdoor corridors she'd have to trek through before she'd make to her destination.

Writing as Manuela Macedo from Castelobruxo.

“If I seem nocturnal and imperfect, look at me again.
Because tonight, I looked at myself, as if you were looking at me.”
—Hilda Hilst, Brazilian poet, "Ten Appeals to a Friend"

Illowy's next letter, again, didn't arrive til midway through the month, but this time, Manu was expecting it. Though they'd only traded a few letters back and forth, she had already grown incredibly fond of the two pieces of mail that she had hung on her wall beside her moving, silently laughing photos of her parents and brothers. Those two would be at Castelobruxo soon enough themselves, seeing as how they'd just turned nine a few months before - Macario, the strong and rambunctious, and Moisés, the fearful and studious. From what Manu remembered from her Hogwarts friend Aly's short lesson on the Hogwarts houses, if the three Macedo children had been born and raised in the United Kingdom, Macario would have been amongst griffins, and Moisés with ravens.

But as for Manu? Well, it had always been ambition for her. Not that she needed, nor cared, to be Sorted... it was just that, at nights, to imagine she'd gone to Hogwarts instead - a place without such rampant fear and hatred of those with Muggle blood, at least based on the people she'd met who attended it - and been able to have met Illowy sooner... 'twas a beautiful, vapid dream, indeed.

Instead, she just anxiously counted down the days to the late teens of November as the weather warmed to nearly unbearable, the skies cleared to allow hot sun rays to beat down upon the backs of students, and her arm healed. Okay, that one had taken only about a few hours after she'd sent her last letter, but still - even a real break would not have taken as long to heal as this letter was taking to arrive. But then, one evening in the early teens of the month - almost a full week early from Manu's prediction - she entered the lodging-house where she lived and went to the room she shared with some of the other girls in her year, only to find a pellet-shaped owl's dropping right atop her carefully crafted Philosophy essay that was due the next morning at seven a.m. sharp.

Still, she couldn't be mad - not when she saw the tell-tale purple ink on the letter, double-checked the date on her calendar, and realised that Illowy's letter was six whole days early than what she had expected. What a robust owl this fellow was! Clearly, he deserved some extra treats... and she could always clean the droppings off her essay later. Instead, she tore open the letter with a vigorous grin splitting her face. Manu was not always the smiliest, the giggliest, the cheeriest of people - in fact, she usually glared folks down rather than grinning at them - but there was something about Illowy that set her pulse racing and made her hyper-aware of her limbs.

The ghostly girl had even taken to appearing in Manu's dreams, though she wasn't about to tell her that anytime soon.

Manu prepared to scan the letter and then scan it again and again and again, but her eyes caught on the very first word of the actual letter, past the date business. Dearest.

Now, in Brazil, querido/a, or dear/darling, was used to address pretty much any letter as long as it wasn't overly formal (and, even then, sometimes). Friends used it for friends, especially, far more than it was used for lovers. A casual "dear" or "darling" from Illowy would not have thrown Manu, who was used to them as platonic terms of endearment, for a loop. But dearest? Now, that was new. Somewhat closer to minha querida, or my dear/darling, which was more often than not used for love letters more than declarations of sole friendship. But still, dearest - mais querida - could go either way.

Forcing herself to move past the pet name and not dwell on it too much, Manu scanned the rest of the letter, drinking Illowy in as if she were truly there. This sole letter contained more about the girl she'd come to fancy than she'd learned yet, at least in the realm of concrete facts. She was a fifth-year. She, too, liked the fire spells. She was introverted and intelligent, a dancer and an artist and a musician, a cat owner. A Slytherin, whatever that meant. She was tough and impossibly funny, even on the page. After all, it was no small feat to make Manu Macedo smile like this.

Her cheeks hurt. Was this what joy felt like? It had been far too long.

Fuck it. She was going to take a risk.

Sunday
13th November
2022

My dear Illowy,
You will feel happiness to know that my arm is well healed and in fact was completely healed after hours of me sending my last letter. I promise I was not making a fight - well, an illegal fight, at the minimum. I was only knocked down in duelling practice and fell on the arm. It broke, but was healed the same day. No damage was done.

Agreed with you relating to parties. I like to have fun, like many people, but I find that I feel more injustice in a large crowd than in a small group, as much in relation to myself and as to others. Fun is not fun when bullies are around. Fortunately, I have had little experience with them this year and am steering well clear of them all. Still, I would have enjoyed going to the dance if you were there, I think. Next time there exists a dance, I will take you, if you like.

I have spent some time in the library of the Castelobruxo since your last letter, researching your language. Here is what I have to say about her: Tá sé seo deacair! "This is hard" (I think) What talent you must have to have skill in a language so hard. You can consider me very impressed with this. We certainly didn't learn about that at Muggle school - it was principally arithmetic, science, history, geography and the general things. Some arts and physical sports too, which I always enjoy. But to be strange there is being despised. My younger siblings are still in their ensinos fundamentais - our children schools in Brazil - and let us simply say that wizards do not fit. Well, Macario fits. Moisés has to work harder.

Your confidence in-vigorates, but I believe you will see me as a vigorous competitor. You may consider your offer of a duel accepted, the next time we meet. I will study my charms of shields. When I win - if, I say instead, because your intelligence in spells of one year ahead - I should enjoy hearing your violin? Music is the talent I never mastered. Or tried.

I am one year more young than you, in fourth year. I would tell you my classification if I had one - I suppose I work with the animals and in the agricultural department, looking after alpacas and fields. I spend most of my time studying when I'm not working, for as you know, my father is no magician and I like to prove to people here that their claims to purity and power are long past.

My other talents are principally in athletics. I am very hard to knock down. I like to run. Especially in the rain. I am in the Amazon rainforest so it rains a lot of days, but I'm skilful at charming the weather and I like the rain, so even when it's not raining, sometimes I change the weather to a thunderstorm any ways. I am told that weather talents are a family tradition.

Truthful, there exists not much to tell about me. My dream for the future is always bigger than knowledge of the present. Maybe I will see you in it.

Give love to your cat on my behalf if you would.

It’ll be a pleasure to read your reply,
Manu Macedo

Manu was just about to seal the letter when a thought occurred to her. Turning slowly around, she eyed the moving photographs on her wall, hanging right next to two lilac letters and an empty space for a third. Pictures of her parents and brothers - and, in one of them, her own face, grinning happily back out of her as she threw her arms around Moisés. This photograph had been taken by her mother just before Manu had gone to camp, just before she'd met Illowy, back in late July. It was the only photograph Manu had of herself and Moisés. Truth be told, it was the only photograph she had of herself.

But why do I need a photograph of myself? she thought, crossing the empty room to pull the photo down from its spot on her section of the wall. Moisés would not have a care, and I have other photos with both of the twins. This I may send away.

Tucking the photo into the envelope, Manu pulled out the letter and added a small postscript at the end.

Included is a photograph of my brother Moisés and myself. This way you will no longer need to be missing me.

Before she could lose her nerve, she fed the owl an inordinate amount of treats and then quite unceremoniously tossed it out the window. Now just to clean up its droppings before her roommates showed back up...

@Illowy Magnard

Slowly the pattern of when to expect the letter was starting to solidify. Illowy could anticipate them better based on when she sent her letters verses when Manu dated her own. That was as long as she assumed that the other was answering back just as quickly as herself. She didn't have a reason to doubt that was true though. She could anticipate typically sometime typically around the thir-ish or fourth week of the month, that was when she usually got a reply. It gave her something to look forward to. She desperately needed something to look forward to as the Holidays quickly approached along with the end of term exams.

Honestly any kind of pick-me-up would have been deeply appreciated at this point. By this point, Illlowy had basically dropped out of her duelling team. She couldn't even give a good reason she just... she stopped going. She just wanted to be left alone to her work and her brooding and not be bothered by anyone or anything else. Except the letters... the letters were nice. Maybe today would finally be the day, she thought to herself as she climbed the Owlry steps.

Her timing must've been immaculate today as she entered the, honestly kinda gross, keeping of the school's owls to find one still waiting patiently with it's letter. A smile she hadn't cracked in weeks finally came to her lips as she retrieved it and practically tore it open, nearly dropping the added contents. Thankfully she quickly caught it before it could hit the nasty floor. Her smile grew, bouncing on the balls of her feet as a picture of her friend smile and shifted in the photograph with a boy she didn't recognize.

Looking back at the letter, her eyes quickly scanned over the page as she wandered back from the roost and out to the courtyard. My Dear. That wasn't typical was it? Surely there was no way that was just casual sentiment. The was soft and intimate... it was possessive. My dear.

She carried on reading. Reassurances that her arm was healed and fine, the result of a duelling practice gone awry. A blush crept to her cheeks reading how at the next opportunity for to attend a dance, she'd like to take Illowy. There was an idea that made Illowy's stomach all fluttery, to actually have a date for once to a dance. Maybe she would come to the Blossom Ball in the Spring...

It took her for surprise seeing the attempt at Irish from some books she'd found in her school's library. It hadn't occurred to her to look for books on other languages in the library. She would have to tack that into her to-do list to see what Hogwarts had to offer in that regard.

Illowy smiled at the quip about dueling and that Manu wanted to hear her play. It wasn't often anyone was interested in hearing her play. These she read how the other was actually a year below her, which somewhat surprised her, but she smiled as she quipped about how if she wasn't working with the animals, then she was studying to make sure she was stronger then the purebloods at her school were keen to believe. Spiteful, Illowy liked that. She tended to think similarly, wanting to excel so that she could be better then the people who thought lowly of her.

There were just so many things that she was learning about her friend there just on the other side of the world. It gave her more to wonder about through her day. Like, as she was sitting at her post in the wee hours of the morning, what might Manu be doing? Studying? Having supper? Going on one of these runs she was telling about in the jungle in the rain? How adept she must've been with weather charms. Those were never spells Illowy ever found much use for.

Then the last bit, a thoughtful note that perhaps she'd continue to see Illowy in her future despite the current uncertainty of the present. It made her blush a little as she finally swept through her Common Room and hurried to her door. Towards the end of the letter, she saw the additional note explaining the photo; that it was a picture of Manu with one of her younger brothers. Illowy pulled the photo forward again to look at it a little closer. She'd have to be sure to thank her for such a thoughtful token.

First things first, she needed something to send in return. Surely she had some photo of herself that would do... the girl rummages around through her drawers and into her trunk, sifting through the few pictures that she kept. It was a mix between magical and Muggle photographs, which wasn't a big deal, but it did pose the dilemma that each one had been taken while she had been afflicted with the strange curse that had afflicted many of the Slytherin students for a time. It had only been cured for a year after all and she hadn't taken many photos since.

She pulled the most recent photos she'd had that had been taken the summer before when she had spent part of the summer with her Muggle born friend. The image was still, but for what it was, it was a good picture of herself at one of the parks in Dublin. The only flaw was the inky black veins that stained her cheek, neck and shoulder, as well as a bit peaked on the top of her hand; otherwise the majority of the damage was covered by long sleeves and tights. It would have to do.

Saturday
26 November, 2022

Dearest Manu,
I got your letter today and I wanted to thank you so much for the photograph! I wish I had better a picture to send with the letter, but honestly I don't find myself taking photos often. What I have though are the pictures I took with my friend one summer. Forgive my appearance, we were dealing with an affliction at the time, but its perfectly fine now. Also you did very well for your first go with Irish. Its definitely not the easiest to learn, but that wasn't bad at all!

I've never had a proper sibling before aside from my cousin. He's the closest I ever had. I'll actually be spending Christmas Holiday at his house with my aunt and uncle. My aunt goes absolutely Christmas crazy ever year. It can be a little overwhelming, but it brings her joy, so I don't mind so much. Does your family do anything for the holiday?

Hopefully the next time your school comes to visit us there will be a dance that we might be able to attend. I think that would be lovely and perhaps then it will not be so boring to be actually be there with someone. Then while you visit we can have that duel and I'll play for you. It has been a long time since I've play for anyone.

Do you only keep regular animals or do you also help with the others as well? What is your favorite animal? Like, individual animal? What do you dream for in the future? A lot of the older students are starting to talk more about what they're wanting to do after they leave Hogwarts, and when I was little I wanted to be a champion duellist. But the older I get, the less I'm sure if that's a realistic goal. I'm not sure what I want from the future, but I suppose I still have time to figure that out.

I hope everything is going well with classes and that you've had a good dueling season! Be safe!

Warmest regards,
Illowy Magnard

Smiling a bit to herself, Illowy took care to prep her letter, sliding it into the envelope before tucking the picture in with it. It was an exciting prospect to be sending a picture of herself to the otherside of the world where it might be kept and treasured by someone she was increasingly finding herself thinking and wondering about. What would she think of the returned gesture? Should she think about the meaning of it? Probably not. It was just a photo after all. Friends share photos of themselves all the time. According to her friend Bridget, it was quite the pass time for Muggles to send pictures of themselves back and forth casually with their friends, so this couldn't be much different from that right?

Sealing the letter and writing out the posting for it, she set it atop her books, picking up the photograph of Manu and her brother once more, watching the happy scene of smiles and laughs as her friend threw her arms around her little brother. It was a sweet scene, she though, taking the picture back to her bed as she slipped it into the safe keeping of her journal.

Writing as Manuela Macedo from Castelobruxo.

“If I seem nocturnal and imperfect, look at me again.
Because tonight, I looked at myself, as if you were looking at me.”
—Hilda Hilst, Brazilian poet, "Ten Appeals to a Friend"

Even the arrival of Illowy's next letter, about a week before Christmas in mid-December, could not cheer Manu up from the funk she'd been in almost since she had sent her last correspondence to her beloved Hogwarts pen pal.

The carioca's female person from Rio de Janeiro's fourth year had been nothing short of a roller-coaster thus far, a thrill ride, to say the least. There had been the disappointment for a few weeks, thinking that she would never hear from Illowy again - then, the rush of the first letter - then the pain of her broken arm, the disappointment at getting knocked on her arse during duelling, even if the injury was healed within the day. There had been happiness at hearing from Illowy and pain, anger, rage, boredom throughout other parts of her days. But none so much as recently.

And it was all Boe's fault.

(As usual.)

Gregorio Andrade Botín Mirales Correa, more casually known as "Boe" to his minions and enemies alike, was Manu's worst rival in nearly everything: classes, strength, wits. Even sports, for despite the fact that he played Quidditch and Manu was a duellist, it was always about which one of them could rack up more wins. Overall, they were fairly evenly matched, and Manu knew that Boe hated that - hated that a girl with a non-magical parent was keeping up with and even sometimes outshining him. That was why she kept doing it - well, that and to prove that her father's blood didn't make her any less worthy of attending Castelobruxo like generations of her maternal family had done before her. Caralho fuck, her mãe mother, Mira, was still blatantly featured in the Castelobruxo trophy case for years' worth of Quodpot victories. But that was never enough for Boe, who always chose to focus on the side of Manu that he deemed as lesser.

Normally, the rivalry between Correa and Macedo was fairly tame - barbed words spat in classes or corridors, headlong competition in academics, the occasional full-blown argument, and, most commonly, Boe's minions (younger students who blindly and completely bought into his pureblood ideologies) being sent to bother, trip up, or sabotage Manu. She usually dodged these with practiced ease, but in the last month, Boe had stumbled upon something that seemed to be better at impacting Manu than any of the other strategies he'd tried in the past: the toxic gossip train rumour mill.

When Manu had heard a gaggle of first-years giggling at her in the halls of the golden pyramid of her beloved school for the first time, she'd ignored them, thinking that it was something from her duelling or just basically not worth her time. But when a friend had informed her that it was because someone unknown and anonymous had been telling half the school that Manu had failed so horribly at brewing something in Potions that after inhaling its noxious gases she had promptly vomited all over the professor, she had begun to take it seriously. (In reality, Manu had only breathed in a bit of a classmate's incorrectly brewed potion and gotten so nauseous she'd asked to go to the hospital ward.)

The rumours didn't stop after that, only getting worse. The entire population of fourth-years avoided Manu for a solid week after someone lied in anonymous notes left all over the school that she'd contracted an extremely rare form of dragon pox that was still equally contagious without any of the green skin or pock-marks. It also spread around that Manu had cheated on a particularly difficult Charms exam that she'd aced (after, in reality, studying for it for two weeks straight), which led to a horribly awkward call into the professor's office and a formal investigation that, of course, found no wrongdoing on Manu's part, thank goodness. The last straw was the rumour that Manu had been caught trying to snog one of the alpacas to which she was charged with tending, earning her the nickname Beijoqueiro de Alpaca Alpaca Kisser amongst many of the younger students. She'd been removed from the care of animals, despite having done nothing of the sort, and placed in the fields instead. It was much harder work, which Manu didn't mind, necessarily - she did grow quickly to miss the stables, and her hands were far more calloused, now - but she did mind the fact that her very life seemed to bend to the will of this anonymous gossiper.

A gossiper who, she was sure, preened and groomed himself far too often and vainly, wore an inordinate amount of golden jewelry, and went by the nickname of Boe.

So she wasn't in the best mood when she got Illowy's next letter, slumping into her housing late in the evening after a long afternoon of tending vibrant crops. Manu's back was killing her, her wrists now cracked when she moved them in a circle, and the callouses on her fingers were already tough despite less than a month of this backbreaking work. Still, she tore open the letter and scanned it, letting the picture flutter to the floor - her reflexes weren't what they had been a month ago. She was too tired now.

Whatever "affliction" Illowy had been dealing with had certainly affected her, sending black streaks up her face - but it hadn't taken away even a single bit from her loveliness, an aura of beauty that flushed Manu's face dark as soon as her gaze landed on the photograph on the floor. Caralho, she'd forgotten how pretty the Hogwarts girl was. Of course, Manu wouldn't have admitted that by sending a photograph of herself she was hoping for one in return, but her gamble had paid off, and seeing Illowy's soft smile frozen in time before her was enough to make Manu's heart skip a beat.

Perhaps she wasn't in the greatest mood, but Illowy was enough to lift her spirits the tiniest bit.

Still, it took a few days for Manu to have time to respond, marking her first non-immediate correspondence after receiving one of Illowy's. Christmas was coming up, so professors were piling on the homework... she was still dealing with those fucking rumours... and she was so exhausted from working in the fields that Manu didn't have a single moment to respond until she was safely back in her Rio home, rather than in Castelobruxo's lodging-houses, to celebrate the Christmas holiday with her family.

She could hear her parents, Mira and Mateo, laughing over bossa nova Brazilian "new wave" music in the kitchen; the twins were playing outside. Finally, Manu had escaped Castelo and was back somewhere she could be happy - happy enough to respond to Illowy, even though her feelings would seep into the letter, whether she wanted them to or not.

Friday
23rd December
2022

My dear Illowy,
I feel very sorry for not responding to your letter before. The life around here has been quite difficult lately. I hope that yours has been better.

Your photograph is highly cute and I feel lucky to have it received. I hung it on my wall in Castelobruxo, but gone home for the Natal - you call it Christmas - so I will be able to see it when going back to the school. I want to leave it there to have a motive to want to go back. Your smile is enchanting, to make sense that you duel, yes?

In the Rio, the Natal is a large celebration. For my father, the night that comes tomorrow we will attend the Missa do Gallo literally Rooster's Mass, a church without magic to celebrate. We eat dinner in family, visiting some of my relatives and cousins here in the Rio. I have heard said that other countries celebrate the Natal on its own day, but our festival is always tomorrow, the 24th. My brothers will study in Castelobruxo following some years, for this, I have some presents from the school for them. They still believe yet in Papai Noel Papa Noel - a theory I think that you have in England? I wish extra presents were had to give to you, or to share some of the brigadeiros a chocolate Brazilian dessert similar to a truffle from my mother with you, but I think they would not survive the journey. My present of Christmas for you will have to be love given from afar. I hope that you have a wonderful holiday.

I also hope to hear you play some day. Music is a common tradition here in the Rio, but it is something I never have tried. I enjoy a good bossa nova, a popular music here that does always not contain violin but sometimes does. I will search in the library in Castelobruxo for sheet music for you when I return to the school, if I have the time to do that. They have relocated me to field work following some difficulty here, so I have little time in the present to enjoy life. That is why this letter is late to you.

At the moment, I do not know what I want to see in my future. Maybe a future without rumours or bullying and with only love, where I do not have to worry about what people think of me. A future where everyone are treated with equality. Lately, I have been thinking about entering into politics. I think that might be the only way to save the world from falling to the doom of the malditos fucking/bloody pure-blooded supremacists. Castelobruxo is certainly falling into their hands now, and no matter how hard I try, I cannot save her from them.

You will always be a champion to me. I am sorry for my demeanor. To hear from you has made me happy, and I promise that I am mad not at you.

Until your coming letter visits my eyes,
Manu Macedo

Her anger was bleeding through into the letter, but for the past month, Manu had been too emotional to talk of much else other than how much she fucking hated Boe Mirales Correa. Actually, she was quite proud of herself for having not mentioned his name throughout the letter, leaving only vague hints of how her past few weeks at Castelobruxo had blown up in her face; whispering directions to the owl in Portuguese, hoping that it would understand that her next letter would need to be delivered to the pyramid where it had originally found her and not this location to which they'd boated in Rio, Manu tied the correspondence to its leg and let it fly.

Did Illowy ever have to deal with shit like this at Hogwarts? What Manu would not have done to have been with the Slytherin girl at that moment - to be safe by her side. To be quite honest, perhaps the only reason she hadn't cornered Boe in the corridors and decked the living daylights out of him was that she wouldn't have Illowy to protect or heal her in the aftermath.

But that knowledge would only keep her from retaliation for so long.

@Illowy Magnard
Had permission for the mentions of @Jack Warren as Boe Mirales Correa.

Christmas was about as cheerful as she'd expected. The holiday was always spent at her aunt's house, but in the passing years since her cousin's disappearance, despite how hard of a show her Aunt Kate tried to put on, it was clear how forced everything was. Trying to force normality and not talk too much about the elephant in the room so that her aunt wouldn't become upset.

When they were kids, her cousin Kyle use to hate Christmas, but Illowy had provided some relief because her presence took attention away from him. There was someone else for her aunt to dote over and while Illowy hate it, she let it be, allowing her aunt to simply express her love in the best way she knew how. Even still, her aunt was doting on her the entire holiday, but it felt more desperate. Desperately needed something else, someone else, to focus on. As the only child remaining in the family, who else could they choose?

When the family was asleep or distracted, Illowy always took it as her opportunity to try and search Cork and a couple of other surrounding areas in hopes to find hyde or hair of her cousin. She knew it was likely he had managed to get himself quite far after all this time, after all he wasn't stupid enough to stick so close to home, but she needed the distraction and she had some level of hope she might find something. Anything.

Of course, it was moot and Illowy would return to school as disappointed and emotionally exhausted as she did every year. At least she had the hope that maybe a letter from her lovely pen pal would be waiting for her, but even that was a disappointment. Not at Illowy was holding the lateness against her friend, after all with the holidays, mail was slow and Manu was probably with her family as well. She'd just have to be patient and get by with rereading past letters and smiling at the photograph she'd received in the last letter.

By this point in the school year, Illowy wasn't doing much more than the bare minimum of going to class, studying, and doing her own research for her various tasks. Her position on the dueling club had been abandoned and the majority of her friendships were neglected. It wasn't Illowy's original intention, but more and more found herself caring less and retreating into old habits that were admittedly less than healthy. In all frankness, she wasn't taking care of herself the way she knew she was supposed to, but that was taking a backseat to focus on the things that kept her mind properly busy. She would figure the rest out later.

It did prove to be something of a perk her up when her letter from Manu finally arrived, even if the enthusiasm was dashed a bit by the obvious agitation that permeated from the letter. Per the other's assurance, it wasn't towards Illowy herself, the snake still felt bad that she was at such a disadvantage to do anything to actually help or offer real comfort. After all, while Illowy was more than happy to neglect her own mental and emotional needs, it was deeply engrained in her nature to ensure the people she cared about were okay; and while Manu didn't say much about the situation explicitly, Illowy had an inkling on the source from the last time she'd seen Manu so upset; and per usual she was useless to help.

There was a bit of hesitation as to what she should say when she finally say down to reply to the other's letter. Illowy wasn't good at comforting people. She wasn't good at finding the tactful or tender way to say things. The snake was blunt and cold and serious and objective; the last thing she wanted was to come off that way to the other. Clearly, her friend was having a hard time, and she didn't need to think Illowy was adding onto the pile.

Pale eyes flickered to her journal before she slid the moving picture from it's keeping place to see a smiling Manu and her brother looking back. Hopefully Manu would have that smile on her face again soon.

Tuesday
10 January, 2023

Dearest Manu,
I hope you and your family had a wonderful holiday. I must admit, I don't know much about how other people celebrate winter holidays. I always go to my aunt and uncle's, but with my cousin not there now, its not really the same; truthfully, I only still go because I distract my aunt. She loves making a big fuss over me. We have some little traditions we use to do when I was young, but mostly we just say by the fire on the 24th and talked a bit, then we opened gifts on the 25th and had dinner with my mum and gran and then my father visited later in the evening. Your holiday sounds much more exciting. I picked up a book over the holiday from town about Brazil and it looks like such a colorful and vibrant place compared to our little villages, so I imagine it must have been fun at your celebrations!

I'm sorry to hear that you've been having such a hard time at school lately. Why did they move you? It sounded to me like you do wonderfully with the animals. Do they normally rotate chores?

When it comes to the nature of terrible people, I wish I had more comfort to give. When I was little, I liked to think it wasn't such a thing still for people to dwell on blood purity, but even at Hogwarts we have people who still think like that. But we have a phrase in Ireland "Tá tuiscint mhaith níos láidre ansin tógáil". It means that good sense or instinct is stronger then upbringing. Just because someone goes from a pureblood family doesn't mean they have any actual skill or talent. My favorite witch in history was a Muggle Born, and that never stopped her from being one of the smartest and most talented witches of her generation.

It doesn't matter where you came from or who your family is. What matters is what you make of yourself. To Hell with what anyone else might say or think because those who try to dig a grave for others are likely to fall in themselves. Do not let them get to you. Spite them and let them wallow in their own misery of knowing they'll never be your equal because when it comes to skill and talent, you are truly superior, even if you don't have their "special blood".

I wish I were better at words of comfort. Honestly its not my strong suit. But I'm glad you were able to be with your family for the holiday and that my picture cheered you a little. At least enough to return your smile to you just a little bit.

I hope to hear from you soon. I hope even harder I'll get to see you soon!

Yours truly,
Illowy Magnard

The witch chewed her lip a little as she read over what she wrote, hoping maybe something she'd said in the mess of word vomit might offer some comfort. Illowy remembered how horrible it was to be bullied, to hear the rumours and the whispers... absentmindedly, her fingers brushed her left cheek where the inky black scars once stained her skin. How crushing, humiliating, it had been to hear the whispered about herself and the other Cursed. At the time she wasn't sure which whispers were worse; the ones that pitied the lot of them, or the ones that said they'd deserved it. After all, Slytherin's reputation as a house never recovered from it's historical context. As a result, it stained every last one of her peers.

Not that she wanted to admit such a history to Manu. After all, she was upset enough at Pure Bloods, and Illowy didn't want to even risk the possibility of her friend being put off that Illowy was in a house with such a reputation. After all, she'd never aligned with those beliefs. Most of her house, to her knowledge anyway, didn't believe in that either; but they were still guilty by association and Illowy shuttered at the idea of Manu passing the same harsh judgment.

Perhaps there was some blessing that Manu didn't know much about the history of Hogwarts and it's founders. She'd have to concede she was grateful for the other's distance in that context as she carefully folded the letter and prepared it to be sent before grabbing her cloak to make the chilly trek out to the Owlry.

Writing as Manuela Macedo from Castelobruxo.

“If I seem nocturnal and imperfect, look at me again.
Because tonight, I looked at myself, as if you were looking at me.”
—Hilda Hilst, Brazilian poet, "Ten Appeals to a Friend"

Say what you would about having a pen pal so far away, Illowy had excellent timing.

Today had been rough - even Manu could admit that - but she walked into her lodging-house at the end of the evening wearing a grin on her face even before she spotted the impatient owl waiting on her desk, a purple-inked letter tied to his leg. This day had been a long time coming.

It had begun, of course, just like any other day since she'd returned to Castelobruxo from the Christmas holiday - a sunrise awakening to golden rays on her face streaming in through the window Manu had convinced her roommates to leave open ("It's nearly February! It's too warm outside, let's let in the breeze while we sleep" had done the trick, but in reality, it was to ensure that Illowy's owl could get indoors if - no, when - it came for her). She had waved hello to the stagnant picture of Illowy that hung above her bed - not that she ever got a wave back, seeing as how that Illowy was frozen in time, forever young. She'd gotten ready for classes, had a bit of pão de queijo cheese bread for breakfast, and spent the first half of the morning learning about everything from philosophy to potions.

The real interesting bit had come at the end of the half-hour break that all Castelobruxo students had midway through their morning classes, after a bit of a spar with some of her duelling teammates. Manu had left the duelling area sweaty, but victorious, and more exhausted than anything else. Not really looking to pick a fight, but then again, it was her personal motto to never swing first.

Boe Mirales Correa had been hanging out nearby with his gaggle of minions. He'd insulted her; she'd insulted him right back. What started out as their typical barbed words turned into a full-blown argument within minutes, and when Manu had turned to walk away from the quarrel lest it contribute to her already-high blood pressure, she had heard him cast the jinx. Before she had been able to do anything, she'd sprawled forward directly onto her face. Her nose had begun to smart. Broken, probably.

Well, Manu may have had a personal moral code to never start a fight, but if someone else instigated... all bets were off.

It had taken two older students and a professor to pull her off of Boe, bloody-knuckled, wild-eyed, and furious as the taunting boy had attempted (somewhat successfully, and somewhat unsuccessfully, all in one) to block her punches and goad her with his mocking words. She was pretty sure she'd gotten in a few good hits, as the aching in her fists and bruising, bloody knuckles proved. Sure, Manu had landed in an alpaca-sized shitload of trouble for it all, finding herself in nightly detention and with double chores for the next month. But Boe had gotten some punishments too, she was pretty sure, and between that and the bruising round his eye, Manu knew it was all well worth the trouble.

Though she'd let the school Healer fix her nose, Manu had declined to have him heal up the broken skin on her hands. Let it stay there, she'd thought to herself, as a reminder not to fuck with those of non-magical blood.

This was why her spirits were high when she opened Illowy's letter, scanning the lovely lass's soothing words of comfort without much of a need for comforting. Yes, last month had been rough. Sure, she missed tending the animals, and she wasn't enjoying the calluses on her fingertips and feet that came from standing in the fields all day working with the crops. But that fight? The look on Boe's face as she'd been hauled off him? That was enough to keep Manu happy for a good, long while.

Though, of course, having words from Illowy would always help, too.

Rats, it was starting to get difficult being away from the girl. Sure, Manu hadn't actually seen her in person since the previous summer, but the way her heart ached whenever she so much as thought of the Slytherin was good enough for her. A light fancy on the pretty lass who'd healed up her knuckles at camp had evolved into a full-blown crush, even though Illowy wasn't here to whip out plasters and smiles this time round.

Maybe that was why she hadn't let the Healer do it, earlier. No one could ever compare to Illowy.

Thursday
26th January
2023

My most dear Illowy,
I am the most happy to hear from you. It has been a month full of interest.

My vacations were really great, thank you for asking. We did all the traditional celebrations of Brazil: my father made rabanada Brazilian "French toast", we went to the mass of the rooster at midnight, we admired the local nativity there, and my family played amigo oculto to exchange the gifts. (I think it's like a hidden santa, in the English tradition, but it's turned into a game more here). But we are not just Brazilians - my mother is from Argentina and brought with her some of their traditions. too. We let off lanterns on the 24th day, for example, and she sent me back to school with presents to open on the Day of the Three Kings. I had to put them in my own shoes, but that was fine. Christmas is a wonderful festival here, and to spend time with my family was much fun. I went back to school less than a month ago and already I miss them, just as I miss you.

I am glad which you were able to see your dad over the holiday. I don't know that you have mentioned him before, only your mom, in your letters. The holidays are a great time for family and friends, right? Yours sounds exciting, although maybe one day you should want to come to Brazil for Christmas. I promise we won't let you down in terms of excitement, and to see you here would be a happy time for me.

In relation for the school, the past month was difficult, for a couple of different reasons. Do you remember when we first met, with my hands bloodied from refusing to hit the boy who was making me so angry? In December he started spreading nasty rumors about me throughout the Castelobruxo, and unfortunately, most of them were believed by classmates and administration together. But that is okay, in the end. Today I sought my revenge and once again my knuckles have become covered in blood, although this time it's not all my own. I feel relieved that I finally gave this parvalhão similar to asshole a piece of my mind, though of course I received a lot of punishment because of it. But it was worth the trouble.

Though I wish I had you here to clean me up. The Healer here doesn't have hands as gentle as yours, nor a smile as distracting to take my mind off the pain or the trouble.

You are very talented in terms of comfort. I think you underestimate the poetry that is your voice. Promise this to you, Illowy, I will do my best to show them all my power, just as you must do the same. I have great faith in your talents. You already make the world a place so much more lovely, just by living in it.

Would that I could see you soon.

Wishing to see you of new,
Manu Macedo

Though her ink was green, Manu, as she was folding the letter, noticed a few small smears of red here and there. Merda. Shit. Her knuckles still uncleaned, she'd bled right onto the parchment. Oh, well - they were subtle streaks, and perhaps Illowy wouldn't even notice.

Or, perhaps, if she did, that would gain Manu more respect in the Irish girl's eyes. Perhaps Illowy would recognise that Manu was tough. That she could protect her.

She'd be lying if she said she didn't want, very deeply, to protect Illowy. The girl was guarded, that much was for certain, so Manu didn't quite even know what she wanted to protect her from - bullies, perhaps? The leaving of her cousin, like she'd mentioned so briefly in her last letter, or from terrible people in general?

To be Illowy's knight in shining armour, swooping in on a regal steed and carrying the dark-haired Irish princess to safety through flame and war and battle... yes, it was childish, and yes, it was silly, and yes, battles didn't really happen nowadays anyway, and even when they did, it wasn't like Manu or Illowy either had a reason to be anywhere near one.

Manu in armor, Illowy in a billowing gown, though... that would always be a comforting thought.

The smile still plastered affectionately to her face, Manu tied the letter to the owl's leg and let it fly through the open window into the hot summer night.

@Illowy Magnard
All mentions of Boe Mirales Correa were discussed with and approved by @Jack Warren beforehand.