Dear Larkston | Thanks, E. Decipio PV Closed

Date delivered ➵ June 19, 2020, 30 minutes before curfew
Addressed to ➵ @Evelynn Decipio
Delivered by ➵ owl

[font=Ink Journal]Hi Evelynn,

Hey, don't worry about it. Things have been chaotic recently, as you mentioned, so the timing of this is no problem at all. Anyway, I still remember our meeting a long time few months ago - oh, and I do apologize about that potion, by the way. I did mention I'd try to talk to Davenport and see what I could find out… and although I might have some information, I can't exactly say I personally sought her out. I'm really sorry about that, but honestly, I don't see her around a lot. Even in our common room. Sometimes I wonder whether she's even in our dorm at night.

Actually, now that I think about it, the first time I remember seeing Davenport since our meeting was during the attack on Slytherin back in February. You've heard all about it, right? From what I can tell, the story's been circulating everywhere ever since, so I'm just assuming so. I'm going to spare you all the details, since it's probably easier that way, but I guess I could try to explain if you'd really like. But back to Davenport. The night of the attack, I ended up having to grab Marion's shoulder (I know it sounds weird, but it basically was to restrain her, long story short). I wasn't expecting anything to be out of the ordinary, but apparently I thought wrong.

Davenport was really cold. When I touched her shoulder, it was like touching ice, even through the clothes and all that. That was just the first time - I ended up finding her in the owlery with a few others just about a month after the attack. I'll get to the details later, but she was still cold. So, I don't think that was a one-time happening. She also seemed awfully weak, I think, because both times, she couldn't seem to twist away from my grasp (she tried multiple times). I mean, I could be jumping to conclusions, but I'm weak I'm not exactly strong myself. Actually, someone else mentioned that Moore - Victor Moore - was the same way (cold and light, I believe they said). Perhaps his and Davenport's conditions might be related?

Alright. Like I said, I encountered Davenport once more after the attack on Slytherin, and I must say, she wasn't willing to offer much. She did admit she saw something happen, with a "mean lady" and a "guy everybody likes" or something like that. I'd say we can safely assume she knows something about the Potter case, but still, we can't just jump to conclusions. She kept claiming that she didn't do anything wrong, but was only present at the scene of whatever significant happening she witnessed. I wouldn't doubt that, honestly, since even if I'm suspicious of her, I don't think she actually did something heinously wrong. So that's that, then.

Oh - Davenport had this thing on the back of her neck, which she eventually claimed was a scar that was from being bitten a couple years back. It looked kind of like a tattoo to me, since it was distinct and sort of dark-coloured, but she was bent on claiming that it wasn't… Either way, she mentioned being treated by a one Nurse VanCleaf. Could he be a nurse in Hogwarts' Hospital Wing? I apologise if it's obvious and I'm just ignorant, but I guess I just don't make it a habit to hang around the Hospital Wing unless I have to. Bad memories, you know? Anyway. Whether or not Davenport was lying about the fact or not, I'm not sure, but it just got me thinking - perhaps we could possibly see if 1) we can find VanCleaf easily, and 2) whether or not he's willing to share any information that we/you might find helpful? As for the mark itself, I don't think I can remember exactly what it looks like, but upon later discussion with some others, it was suggested that it could be a binding mark of sorts. I can't claim to be knowledgeable about binding marks, but I suppose it could be plausible.

I did go to the Blossomball. First things first - were you safe? I mean, it was kind of hard to be, given the circumstances and all that, but I do hope you were alright. Of course, I'll do my best to explain what I saw, although I'll have to admit it isn't much. So obviously, first came the arrival of the mosps and the nearly simultaneous shutting down of the lights. I actually then went to find Davenport, and she was lugging around this big bag of stuff. I tried to take it from her so I could at least take a quick peek at its contents, but that didn't end up happening. I mean, I didn't manage to snatch it away. Yeah. Anyway, after that, I actually went to see if I could help extinguish the fires, so I'm personally not sure what exactly happened to the bags. I'll try to remember, though, and I'll owl you if anything comes up. Fires aside, I was trying to help deal with the remainder of the mosps…until they flew away. And that was the end of that.

As for the Masquerade Ball, I'd still be up for telling you about it, though it might have to be a summary, since it'll be a very long story. But - would you mind if I left that for next time? I promise I'll get the information to you soon, but I want to make sure I get the facts right first; besides, I'd best be finishing off so that I can get this to you before curfew.

One thing, though - you won't tell anyone many people, right? I mean, I understand that working together will be crucial and we've got to do what we have to do, but I just don't want the information leaking, if you know what I mean.

I hope I didn't let you down in any way, not having sought out Davenport and all that. I ought to have done better, honestly, but hopefully this will work. I know it's a lot of random bits of information… We could meet up some time to sort things out, if you'd like. It probably won't be doable before the school year ends, but I could find you at Summer Camp if you're attending. If not, next year would totally be fine - and I think we all need the summer to recuperate, honestly.

Anyways, I hope you're doing well![/font]

Received: June 22nd, 2020
Addressed to: Larkston @Thora Larkston
Delivery: passed in class

Larkston,

It's alright, really. Everything really has been very confusing. There seems to be a lot of sides to everything happening around. It's difficult to keep track of, and we haven't even been in the heart of it all. I can't even imagine what it's been like for you as a Slytherin. Although, I'll admit I'm a little disappointed you weren't able to seek Davenport out, I suppose it can't be helped. If she wasn't as reclusive as she is, there likely wouldn't be quite as much confusion, no? Even a little bit of information is helpful.

As an aside, about the attack on Slytherin, though, I really would love to hear your side of the story with as many details as you're able to. If you're willing. I haven't actually heard it first-hand from anyone that was present, so it would be nice to have that perspective. Even if I had, though, everyone's perception is a little bit different, so there might have been something you noticed that nobody else did.

Regarding Davenport, though… That's very odd. Cold? And light? Since the two - Davenport and Moore, that is - are seemingly close in some way, I could only assume it's likely related. It's more than a little odd for someone to feel ice-cold to the touch. Even more so for two people to. Interesting about what she said, though. I would assume most would think that the "mean lady" is referring to Mrs. Umbridge, and that "guy everybody likes" is likely Mr. Potter. But I wonder if that's actually the case. Those are terribly vague descriptions. Those could be anybody. For all we know, the "guy everybody likes" could be Professor Lear, or Nurse VanCleaf, or even just a well-respected student boy. She didn't say anything else? Not at all?

And a scar on the back of her neck? From being bitten? She didn't say what had supposedly bitten her, did she? And if it was dark-coloured, it certainly wouldn't have been a scar. Probably. When she said treated by Nurse VanCleaf (who yes, is the nurse at the Hospital Wing), did she mean that he was the one who treated the "bite" and that the scar had appeared after his treatment? You wouldn't be able to draw what it looked like, would you? You said it had a sort of distinctive look? Do you remember? I'm not sure if it would be possible to question Nurse VanCleaf, or how much he'd be willing to tell, though. He could make use of patient confidentiality to avoid questioning without looking suspicious. Still, I do think that this is worth looking into.

As for the ball, yes I was safe. Or as much as I could be. Woodward and I had a bit of a run-in with a mosp, but I wasn't personally injured. He was, though, and we took a tumble from the broom we used to escape, but it wasn't anything terribly serious. Thank you for asking though. Your summary is about the same as what I remember, though. The buzzing, the lights going out, the mosps, and then just.. Chaos. I remember the fires. I tried to put them out as well. But every time I did, they came right back again. It was like there was something stopping them from being able to be extinguished. I don't think it was normal fire. It also looked like the lights had started going out from one side of the pitch and were going out in order. But.. I couldn’t see what was making them do that. Do you know of anything that causes lights to go out one at a time like that? And if you're able to find out anything about the bag, that could be helpful. That's.. Strange. I wonder what was in it.

You have my word, by the way. I won't tell anybody that you're telling me anything. I think your suggestion to get together to sort through the bits of information would also be very worthwhile. It's a shame it won't be possible before the summer is upon us, but that might not be entirely bad. It would give us a chance to actually sort through and organize it ourselves a little bit before bringing it all together. I'm not attending the Summer Camp, though. My mother feels that I my education here isn't quite sufficient and is insisting on additional tutoring. We can meet up next year, certainly.

Any chance you'd be able to summarize the masquerade, though, beforehand? It would be helpful to be able to look through that to see if there are areas that need to be explored more.

Hope you're doing well, also. And best of luck with your studies for the exams coming.
E. Decipio