Letters for the Fire Solo Finished

Percival bit his lip as he made his way down the dirt path that led to the Great Lake. In the right pocket of his jacket, sat the familiar red envelope. The envelope was completely identical to the previous letters his Uncle Terrence had sent him before. When he had received the letter during the morning breakfast the boy had been taken by surprise. Percival hadn't been expecting a letter from his Uncle, especially, after the other hadn't contacted him in months.

The boy paused his walking to shove his hand into his pocket and pull the letter out. He scanned over the front and back of the envelope taking in the details. The envelope was fairly thick, thicker than any of his Uncle's previous letters. Though, Percival hardly cared for the reasoning behind the thick envelope. His hand shoved the envelope back into the pocket not caring if he crumpled it.

He didn't need to open it to guess the excuses his Uncle would present to him. It should have been obvious the truth that the thick letter held. Percival continued his way down the dirt path his gaze wandering to take in the scenery. The lake was definitely budding with life now that summer was here to stay. It was fairly easy to forget about all his problems looking at the scenic view.

As the boy walked, his hand brushed up against the matchbox that lay in his pocket. The box felt as heavy as a boulder. Weighing down his pocket mentally. Percival's blissful look crumbled away before being replaced with a more serious expression. The boy had to prove something today. Something for himself.

Percival bit his lip as his stomach groaned at its emptiness. Due to the shortened time between dinner and curfew, it left little time to complete his mission. Which was why Percival had decided to skip dinner for the night. Not only did it give him enough time, but it also allowed him to avoid as many people as possible. Especially away from the prying eyes of his fellow dormmates. Percival continued his way down the dirt path hoping to find an area that was fairly secluded. In case anyone else decided to pay the Great Lake a visit.

After a minute or two of walking, Percival walked off the marked path and made his way closer to the tree line. His goal was to find a small clearing where he could start the fire, and not have to worry about anything else catching on fire. Thankfully it did not take long for him to find such a place. Near the tree line, lay a small clearing big enough for him to work.

Percival stopped walking right in front of the small clearing. He brought his hand into his right pocket, pulling out the red envelope. Percival let his grip on the letter loosen, allowing the envelope to fall through his fingers before fluttering down to the ground. The boy's expression was unreliable, and his black eyes bore holes into the letter that now lay in the dirt. A grimace crossed his features as he squatted down closer to the earthy smelling dirt.

His left hand reached up clumsily to grab the matches in his left pocket. Percival's gaze refused to leave the red envelope on the ground. The blood-red clashed with the dusty brown, making the letter stand out brightly. It took a few tries for the boy to pull the matchbox from his left pocket. Since it was much more difficult to find one's pocket when one refused to look. The boy finally grabbed the matchbox and pulled it out.

Percival looked away from the envelope to glance at the object now in his hand. He chewed on his lip as he thumbed the box open. When the boy had decided to bring the matches with him to Hogwarts, he hadn't expected to be using them for this purpose. Percival worried away at his bottom lip apprehension weighing him down. Though, he had already come so far it didn't make sense to back down now.

The boy took one of the fifty matches from the box and struck it quickly across the strip. Instantly, the tip of the match lit up with a flame with a loud hiss. Percival's eyes widened slightly as he watched the flame dance across the tip. He brought his right hand down, placing the match down onto the top of the discarded letter. The smell of something burning mixed with the earthy smell of the dirt.

Percival stepped back away from the letter as it began to burn through the paper. The boy took a quick glance to ensure that he was still alone. Before he pocketed the matches back into his left jacket pocket. His gaze went back down quickly to the letter watching the flames lap at the paper.

Seconds turned to minutes as time ticked by. The letter was mostly burned by now, and the fire finally burned itself out. Percival felt fairly calm as he picked up the charred remains of the letter. Parts of the charred letter fell away from the still-intact part that the boy was holding. A small part of Percival enjoyed the act he had just done. It felt like he was rebelling against his Uncle, and in a way, it felt good. Despite it not being fully burned, Percival still felt like his message was clear. He wasn't going to listen to his Uncle's excuses anymore.

Though as the boy studied the last remaining paper a few words jumped out at him. His eyes widened in shock as he read the words. 'You deserve to kn.' The rest of the words on the small piece of paper were charred beyond belief. Percival's eyes widened in shock as he stared at the ruined letter.

"What?" was all he managed to choke out. It felt like his entire world was shifting in unfathomable ways. His Uncle had wanted to tell him the truth, and not just give excuses like he usually did. Yet, Percival had thrown it away without a second thought. The charred bits of paper fell away from his hands as he turned around quickly.

Turning away from the proof of what he had just done, the boy made his way back to the castle. Percival did his best to bury the weight of what he had just done, but he could do nothing to stop the tears that pricked at his eyes. Though the boy resolved to ignore the presence of the offending tears that showed his inner turmoil too easily.

OC Note: Marking rp as finished. If a Professor or Perfect wishes to roll to see if Percival gets caught then I will reopen it. (: