Home solo FIN

He would return everything tomorrow. A stack of textbooks over to Flourish and Blotts. A wand box to Ollivanders. A pouch of Floo powder to one of the shops on Diagon Alley. Anything with a trace of magic on them would be confiscated or disposed of; he feared, should the Ministry sweep his house, the punishment if he and his family were caught otherwise, harboring some forbidden item.

After all, he was no longer a part of their world. Why hold onto the past?

A flying toy car and friendship bracelet, he would return to sender. Same for a wizard's chess set he had smuggled as a present for his Muggle brother's eleventh birthday. @Emma Milanes, @Tyranni Whitethorn and Weasley's Wizard Wheezes, respectively. Christmas break had been a spring cleaning of the basement, emptying bins of Hogwarts mementos, tossing every letter of correspondence into the fireplace. The last three years, gone up in smoke.

Had Penelope been any more exotic than that of a Muggle pet, she would have been surrendered too. The elderly rat wouldn't have fared much better at the Menagerie in finding a new home - who knew how much time she had left. Given the choice, it was out of the question, not to forsake their bond. Thankfully, Penelope could spend the rest of her days with him.

That evening, he sat at his desk, pen tapping against the empty sheet of parchment as the minutes ticked by.

Sigh. Keep it simple.

I'm sorry for the scar. I wish that day had gone differently. Meant to catch up, but don't bother, I'm not at Hogwarts anymore.

No hard feelings. Take care of yourself.

His hand hovered at the bottom right corner of the page, before folding it up. Perhaps mystery was best, not signing his name this time.

On the front of the envelope, he scrawled out:

@Jack Warren

A single letter, the only letter his conscience bugged him to write. All the closure he could muster, before severing himself from the other side.

They would move on, they would forget.

He could rest easy, tonight.