Hopeful Letters pv Willow Byrne Finished

Willow was happy to leave the owlrey and felt her spirits rise even higher as the two girls entered the library. The warm smell of books and the thought that she was among such amazing stories enthralled her, and she sank into her chair across from Nellie feeling incredibly hopeful. The girl asked Willow about her sister, and she paused to think. Aisling was a lot of things- but she was pretty sure she could accurately describe her.

"Well, Aisling is really ambitious, she is definitely a Slytherin. She's training to be an auror, and I know she is a morally good person. But she is also a little bit high-and-mighty and can be manipulative. She's also very smart and charismatic, so she's good at getting what she wants." That was pretty much it. Aisling wasn't someone you would describe as kind, but she was also a very good person. Plus, she had been the least mean to Willow out of all her siblings and mostly ignored her. She had even kept her silence one time when Willow accidentally broke one of their mother's vases- but Willow had ended up confessing anyway because she felt bad.

"I think she would be responsive to a direct approach. Aisling isn't a super fluffy and cuddly person." Willow added. She needed to explain her feelings in a way that wouldn't suffocate her sister. She pulled out a piece of parchment herself, and began taking notes alongside Nellie.

This was one reason among many that she refused to give up her pen. The writing tool kept her from having to dip her quill over and over again as she scribbled down each descriptive word that Willow used to describe her sister. She could simply write as she heard each word. She would, however, have to admit that the quill seemed to glide along the parchment better once you got the hang of writing with one

The Hufflepuff studied the words she'd written after Willow had finished her list. "Moral but not kind. Ambitious. So she would, perhaps, step on people to get ahead but not murder them?" She looked at the red head with quizative eyes. Of course, it wasn't really clarification that mattered in the grand scheme of things. Nellie simply found Slytherins interesting. They were all ambitious, and each had their own individual code. Some, of course, lived by no code at all. Each was different. Regardless of the answer, she would nod and push her glasses back up her nose.

"Right so, direct approach. I'd limit the fluffy, emotional language. But I think it's okay to be honest about your emotions too, just not too..." She roatated her wrist in front of her as she looked for the correct word. "too much, I guess?" Tapping the non-writing part of her pen on the desk, she again thought. "Why don't you write what naturally comes to you and then we can edit it keeping this in mind?"

Willow nodded along as Nellie was talking- the Hufflepuff had grasped Aisling's personality very well. She knew that her sister wasn't against stepping on some toes, but she would always do the right thing when it came down to it. If there was one thing Aisling hated, it was people who got away with evil things; Willow thought that that was why she wanted to be an auror.

"I'll go ahead and start writing," Willow said, flicking back a strand of vivid red hair. She adjusted her parchment and began to draft her letter, crossing things out as she went.


Dear Aisling, No- that's no good. She scribbled out the 'dear' and continued.

Aisling-
I know that we didn't always get along when we were younger, but I would really like for us to get past that. She didn't want to sound like she was acusing her- she would fix that later. We're older now, and even when we were little I looked up to you. You're smart, ambitious, and brave- I think there's a lot we could learn from each other. You're the oldest sibling, already done with school, and there's no reason for us to not get along. A little blunt, but logic was the way to go with Aisling. We were born as sisters, but I want to be more than that- I want us to be friends. There. Let a little feeling slip through at the end.

It was by no means perfect, and it would require some work, but Willow thought it was a solid start. She wanted the message to be just right- she cared a lot about getting though to her older sister. The Ravenclaw girl pushed it over to Nellie a little shyly, and waited for her new friend's input on the letter.

Nellie knew people. She wasn't the most studious kid when it came to her school work, nor was she the most intelligent. Perhaps her anxiety had pushed her observe and understand people, though little help it often gave her in actual interactions. Today, however, was a rare case. Her observations and understanding were coming in handy.

The Hufflepuff gave a nod, encouraging the red head to begin her letter in hopes that together they might repair what it sounded like had never really existed. As Willow wrote with the quill, Nellie remained quiet in order to allow the Ravenclaw to think. Sadly, she hadn't brought her sketch book with her so to fill those moments, she watched. Her attention did not stay on Willow- that would be creepy. Instead, she watched the boy and girl in the corner that were clearly interested in eachother. Next her attention flicked to the boy that seemed frustrated with whatever it was that he was studying. The librarian was always interesting too. She sat at the desk reading, though every now and then, her eyes flicked up as if she thought she might catch a student doing something, which on occasion, she did.

Finally, Willow was done with the rough draft. The girl accepted the parchment, sliding it the rest of the way towards herself. She said nothing as she read. Without marking it, her pen acted to hold her place, as well as point to things as she made her suggestions. The parchment was once more slid, coming to rest between them. "Really good start. Maybe instead of 'we didn't a long when we were younger,' maybe just , 'I know we've never been close.' It removes some blame from both of you as well as pressure." Next she pointed to the final line, "I think we should reword this too. I just am not sure how. Maybe something about getting to know eachother in order to see if you can be friends? What are your thoughts?"

Willow listened closely as Nellie talked and nodded along to her suggestions. Having another voice to help her with her letter was certainly helpful, and Willow began to edit the draft with her quill, the gentle smell and calm vibes of the library making her nice and comfortable.

"What about this?" She tilted the paper so Nellie could see it. She had heeded her advice and rephrased a few sentences, trying to make the letter as fluid and blameless as she could.

Aisling-
I know we have never been close, but I've been thinking a lot recently that I would like to get past that. We're older now, and even when we were little I looked up to you. You're smart, ambitious, and brave- I think there's a lot we could learn from each other. You're the oldest sibling, already done with school, and there's no reason for us not to get along. Having an older sister who is more experienced would be extremely valuable to me, and you are a really wonderful person whom I hope I can become closer to. I would love for us to get to know each other even better, moving past our differences and focusing on how the two of us could become more than sisters- how we could become friends.

The edits weren't drastic, but she hoped that Nellie would think they made a difference. At the same time, a little bit of anxiety was creeping into her chest. What if her sister didn't want to be her friend? What if Aisling thought her letter was stupid, or it made her annoyed?

"I don't know," Willow said uncertainly. "Do you think this will work?" she cast her bright blue eyes to the table, tugging her sleeves over her hands, hoping with all of her heart that this message would do everything she was hoping it would.

@Nellie Lam

Nellie's attention was called away from the people watching she was currently doing in favor of Willow and their task at hand. Though the parchment was tilted, Nellie still had to lean a bit in order to get a good view of the lettering right side up. The Hufflepuff read over the letter once, twice, three times as she looked for errors and wording. "I think..." She did one more scan of the parchment before finishing her sentence. "I think it looks good, honestly. It's honest but straightforward."

Gently, she slid the letter back to it's author as the conversation changed from the contents of the letter to the possible outcome. "Honestly? I don't know." Her face scrunched as she pushed her glasses up her nose once more. "I only really know what you've told me about her. But..." she spoke in a way that suggested she was considering her words as she spoke them. "I think there's a really good chance. But I know one thing. If you don't send this letter and find out? You'll never know and probably wind up regretting it. Just my thoughts."

She spend another moment in her thoughts. "You know, if you want, I can be with you when you read her reply? If she does. If not that's okay, but maybe it'll be easier if you have a friend there. If not, that's okay too. Whatever you need."

Willow twisted her fingers together, staring at the letter that Nellie had slid back over to her. The paper was slightly curled, the fresh ink glittering with possibilities that made Willow's heart contract. She took a deep breath. The Hufflepuff was right; she would regret backing out later, and the worst thing Aisling could do was reject her- and that wasn't a very fun prospect, but if there was a chance of becoming close with her sister...

Anyway, the letter was written, and she wanted to do something brave for once- Willow had always been shy and timid. She wanted more than anything to do something bold, and reaching out to Aisling was the perfect way to achieve that. The redhead picked up her quill, dipped the point into her ink pot and added to the end of the final draft,

Love, your sister,
Willow

She didn't know how the oldest Byrne sibling would respond, and she knew she would be anxious every day until she received a response, but she made up her mind then and there that this was worth it. She gingerly blew on the ink and packed away her quill.

"I would love it if you were there when I got the response. For moral support." She gave Nellie a sweet smile and added, "And thank you for your help, it means a lot." Willow folded the parchment up once the writing was completely dry, and held it to her chest. "Back to the owlery we go, I suppose!"

@Nellie Lam

As Willow stared at the letter, Nellie watched Willow. Her heart went out to the girl. She couldn't imagine having the type of family life that the Ravenclaw described. At four years old, Nellie couldn't imagine treating the twins the way Willow described. Perhaps it was th Hufflepuff in her. The nerves were clear in the girl's posture, and with no shortage of good reason. If she would accept it, Nellie would squeeze the red-head's shoulder in a silent show of support. Being brave despite raging anxiety was something Nellie understood well.

She watched, her arms now back at her side regardless if the other girl had allowed the touch or not. Once the letter was signed, Nellie grinned, a bit of pride showing in her features in her new friend. "Absolutely." Over the thanks she smiled and gave a nonchalant shrug. "You're welcome."

Somehow, she hadn't though about the return to the owlry in order to send the letter. The reminder of their next location made her groan and lay her head on the table dramatically. "Ugh!" There was a moment when she stayed there, but with an equally dramatic sigh she sat up. Hufflepuffs didn't abandon their friends. It didn't matter how new the friendship was, or how gross smelling the location. "Let's go, then." She was smiling, any trace of her earlier theatrics were gone.

It was a few days later, and Willow's heart was fluttering as she ate her breakfast, waiting for the morning post to arrive. For some reason, she felt as if today would be the day- when Aisling's response would finally come, and she could read it at last. And sure enough, the owls flew down... down... down... spiraling into the great hall and delivering their objects and letters to the waiting students. The breeze of their wings caressed her cheeks, and she smiled gently when one stopped directly in front of her. Willow pried the envelope from the owl's beak, which was marked with her name in the slanting, careful handwriting of her older sister.

Willow's eyes scanned the Great Hall for her friend Nellie, who had been so kind as to help her write the letter in the first place. The space was compressed with people, but she managed to spot her through the crowd, so she got up from the Ravenclaw table and went over to her. Willow tried her best to avoid the elbows and eyes of other pupils, keeping her head down and out of the way, the letter clutched tightly in her hands as if it were made of pure gold.

"Excuse me," the Irish lass whispered to the Hufflepuff. "The letter came." Her bright blue eyes were dancing with anticipation as she asked Nellie to join her in opening the message. "Do you want to go back to the library to read it?" she asked, tugging on a lock of red hair. She recalled the way Nellie had offered her advice, squeezed her shoulder in support, and spent her time helping Willow, who had been a stranger at the time. There was no better person to open the letter with, and she bounced on her heels in excitement and nervousness for the moments ahead.

@Nellie Lam