The Voyage to Finding a Vampire SOLO Finished

December 30, 2021.

London, SW1A 2WH was a postcode in Westminster. Simon had discovered that after doing a bit of research on the subject. He had sent a letter there earlier that month to a Post Office Box from there but it was returned, stating that the address was unkown and that the box was no longer used by the individual he wished to contact.

At first that left him terribly downcast but no, this couldn't be the end of his path. He had decided that he was going to try and contact his father and this was merely a small deviation in his search. He discovered that the particular Post Box was there in Westminster, sort of in the heart of the tourist area.

His first days of Winter Holiday were spent catching up with his Aunt Maggie. Together they talked and talked and talked for what seemed like endless moments, filled with smiles and laughter. She learned more details about his time at Hogwarts (since he often wrote) and he learned that she had just started seeing someone - which he was grateful for. His Aunt Maggie deserved to take some time for herself. He also wasted no time visiting the Westminster Cathedral, his Church, where he got to see many old friends. It was easier this time around to talk about some of the great things about his school away; picking out some of the really great details and actually telling someone about it - without mentioning the magic, of course!

And then there were his friends - his friends that he had made through childhood and missed every day while he was away at Hogwarts. Gabe, Oliver, James, and Sutton. Emma, Mia, Olivia, too. He made sure to get some time in with them, ice skating, or just playing around outside in the evenings. Then, he headed off to Carlisle, England to visit his Ravenclaw Clair Fernandez and her family's farm for a few days. THAT was quite the experience for this London boy, born and raised.

But now there he stood in the hear to tourist London. He had just gotten off The Underground at Westminster and now headed that way knowing it was approximately a five minute walk. Five minutes to gather his last thoughts on how he would approach one of the workers. Would they give him the information he sought after?

He walked past many hotels, wondering if perhaps his father hadn't lived or worked in the London metropolitan area at all. Perhaps his father was a visitor and that's why he had a Post Office Box number instead of a residence address.

Simon arrived and looked around, frustrated with himself. There was no Post Office Delivery Office, but just a Royal Mail Post Office Box. One could drop a letter in to be sent off and that was all.

He had come too far to just let this be the end. Simon got back on the London Underground and made his way over to the Royal Mail West End Delivery Office. It was located in an area he wasn't all too familiar with but his trusty iPhone (oh how he missed that at Hogwarts) lead the way. Once he arrived at the building there was a sign with an arrow pointing to the Public Enquiry Office.

The inside was mostly red and there was a central seating area for if visitors had to wait and a corner of two walls meeting that were lined with Post Office Boxes. Simon went over to 14040 and skimmed his hand over it, knowing that his father once got letters there over a decade ago.

With no queue, he turned and headed up to the customer service counter. There was a young man behind the area, probably in his late teens or early twenties who was busy with some sort of game on his phone. "One moment," he heard the man say and watched as he continued on with his game. Simon wondered if he was this cordial to all his customers or just those that were twelve.

The young man gave out a frustrated sigh of defeat a minute later and put his phone down. "Ay, there. What do I do ya?" he asked, and while he seemed rather casual, Simon was starting to feel a little tense. "I got a letter returned," Simon said as he placed the envelope on the counter for the man to see. "It says that the PO Box listed was no longer in use by the recipient and I was wondering if there was any way to figure out...well, if maybe they got another one or something."


"I've only worked here a couple months, mate, but don't recall this name," he said and his phone pinged. He glanced over to it and Simon wondered if it was a text message or a notification on whatever it was that was occupying this man's attention. Maybe no technology wasn't the worst thing about Hogwarts. Simon liked that he wasn't fully teathered to his phone.

"What I can do ya is look up a forwarding address. Let me see if he left one," and the man began to click a few things on his touchscreen computer. "Adrian...Hawthorne...with an E," he said, smiling over at Simon like he was accomplishing some great deed here. Simon smiled too though, grateful for the young man's help. There was a few more taps on the touchscreen and then he watched as the man scribbled out something on a notecard. "Can't guarantee it's up to date. Looks like it was switched thirteen some years ago. Here's what I've got for ya."

The man handed the notecard to Simon over the counter and he took it. "Thank you," he said to him, looking down at a new address. Maybe it was his actual address and he never had moved and only once did he deem it necessary to have a Post Office Box there in London. "Thank you so much," he smiled to the man who returned it, seemingly happy that he was able to help someone.

"Good day to you," Simon said and the man returned the sentiments before going back to his phone. Simon slowly exited the Delivery Office. The time left on his break was dwindling and changes were he wouldn't be able to get a response from him in time to meet up during Winter Holiday. He would have to write another letter and intend to perhaps meet come Summer.

The voyage to finding his father continued.