Pasts that Fuel the Future
Kitty Townsend would find a handsome owl flutter towards her food at breakfast time, not to snatch up her deliciously toasted bread or a cup of perfectly heated milk but to drop a letter, address and her name printed precisely onto the envelope. When she would open it, she would find the same, clean handwriting, and a flourish of a signature at the bottom. Refinement without even having to open one's lips, but the tone revealed more than just an outward facade. A friend, to a friend, who had not seen each other in a very long time.to: @Katherine Townsend
from: Anthonie Engelbrecht27.12.2025
Dear Kitty,
I am writing to congratulate you on your new position as Charms Professor at Hogwarts! I heard of the news through a friend, and am both excited for your new development and saddened by our sparse communication since graduation. Suffice it to say, we have long gone our separate ways, but I hope our shared career can bring us back together.
The last time we conversed this much I was still on the path to go into law. When I was eighteen and freshly graduated I had, as you know, hoped to go into the ministry. It was there that I thought I could truly change the world. While my ego was certainly not bloated enough to believe I could become the South African Minister of Magic, I did truly believe I would be going places with the job.
Although I will spare you the details, my family was in disarray at the time due to an incident. My interest dwindled, and a position at my alma mater opened up. I, too, stumbled upon a realisation: if one truly wishes to change the world, they must look at the root of things. And the root behind every noteworthy person? Education. Soon I had a new ambition, and I threw myself into it.
I suppose I say this to welcome you into this field of work. I urge you to make a difference for your students, and I believe you will be the most exceptional Charms teacher they will have in their seven years of schooling.
Tell me, how has your life been? With your personality, there should always be something exciting going on, no?
Yours faithfully,
Anton
we are all stardust and stories. we are all dreams.
Archer Duncan | Liliya Starkova
Archer Duncan | Liliya Starkova
Pasts that Fuel the Future
The letter came as a mild surprise to Kitty, whose first few days at Hogwarts had already been plenty filled with faces and names from the past. With years of memories to look back on — this time more pleasant than not — drafting a response came easily. A few days later, Anthonie would find an owl at his office’s window. In its claws it held an envelope gently. When opened, a letter unfurled: pink paper with small enchanted decor of a cat curling up by where the signature sat. The handwriting was undeniably familiar; though a little neater than one might have expected if they happened to know Kitty as a teenager.
From: Kitty Townsend
To: @Anthonie Engelbrecht
Dear Anthonie,
Thank you! I appreciate your excitement, though I'll admit, your letter came as a surprise. I remember plenty of our last conversations — your plans to go into law were certainly not the first on that list. Still, it's nice to hear from you after all this time.
I’m surprised to hear you’re no longer in law, though I’m sure the more educational path your career has taken suits you well. Despite all the time and differences between us, I’m sure you remain as headstrong and visionary as ever. Uagadou is lucky to have you among its ranks. What do you teach?
As for my own exploits, they have certainly been exciting! I went to study in Florence, as was the plan last time we spoke — and after completing my studies and an apprenticeship, I did get to work as a cursebreaker the last few years. It was as rewarding of a job as I thought it would be, especially for a career picked out by a reckless 16 year old, haha. It was tiring, and dangerous, don't get me wrong, but if the stories I now have didn't already make up for it, then all the travel sure would have. I wonder if we passed each other by one of these days. It's not entirely improbable. I saw more of the world in those few years than most will in a lifetime, and I cherish each of those memories deeply.
I would have stayed working for Gringott’s longer if I could. A hag no one knew about managed to take me and my partner on the job by surprise, and it all left me in… well, I think disarray is a great word, so you'll have to excuse my stealing it from you. It wasn’t pleasant to experience, so I doubt reading of it would be pleasant, either. After a few months spent away from the job, I made the decision to apply for professor of Charms instead, and here I am! I don’t think either of us could have predicted I’d go into education. It still feels like some odd sort of dream, really, though you're far more knowledgeable than I am on the subject. If it is, I demand you wake me up.
The first few days here have been a little shocking. I can guess you've been told enough, so I will spare you the details; but overall, I'd say it's been nice. The few kids that stay in Hogwarts over the holiday break have all been rather sweet, really, and the rest of the faculty has also been mostly very welcoming.
All surprises of the past week considered, your letter was certainly a pleasant one. It has been too long since we wrote — and I hope our newly shared career can bring us together, too. Do you know of any plans in Uagadou that would maybe allow us to meet?
Best,
Kitty
esme hestridge. second year slytherin duelist. |
thales amaro. second year castelobruxo quidditch. |
Pasts that Fuel the Future
Kitty’s response came sooner than expected, although it would not sit in the mail for longer than polite. Surrounded by the glorious snowscape of Switzerland it was needless to say that Anthonie was distracted. However, it was his sibling who had found it, her reply noticeable amongst the drab brown parchment his family’s patrons opted for. Hers was a pastel pink, with a handwriting to which Anthonie found his recognition instantaneous. Less wobbly than it used to be, but the skeleton had not changed.
And neither had she.
After long skiing sessions, Anthonie’s own response would have come after New Years, for after night long celebrations and more afterparties than he could count, sleep was a higher priority than Kitty. But apparently pureblood heirs all sober up fast, for they had greater responsibilities to attend to than being slouched over a glass. Almost in time for the Tenūsa event his emotions were muddled upon learning he still had unreplied to mail, much less for a character such as Katherine Townsend, yet he handled the task with chivalry and decided a few more minutes at his desk could have been worth fragments of a past he may never return to.
Who was he to be so grounded in the past? Just as Kitty had described, Anthonie was a visionary, and the only use of times passed was to fuel the future ahead. When dealing with the aftermath of a situation such as his own, it was a good philosophy.He wrote lighter. Looser. Perhaps they were getting back into their old rhythm.to: @Katherine Townsend
from: Anthonie Engelbrecht02.01.2025
Dear Kitty,
I wish you a (belated) happy new years! Although you spent your time at Hogwarts, did you do anything to celebrate? I am certain I would bore you with how I spent my own holidays, for you had never seemed to be one for parties. I hope you did develop a taste for champagne though — I know American drinking ages are criminal.
The decision to write to you has come to a surprise for myself, but alas, I missed what they call the “good ol’ days” too much not to. This seemed like a perfect opportunity, for I could never get ahold of your address before either, so I am glad to be able to write now. I hope you do only remember the flattering parts of our conversations. They were my favourite.
Don’t be too surprised. Law would have suited me well enough and while I would have prospered in that field I doubt it would have made any real impact. I used to teach Kuchaganya Viungo, which would roughly be Potions and Alchemy in English terms, with some aspects of Transfiguration. Fitting, considering I chose to specialise in the art of animagi.
You, however, certainly do not disappoint me with your exploits. It is quite the shame, I have barely been out of the continent for more than a month these few years, bar that one exchange programme I had in my first year of university. Somedays I wish I had a job that could guarantee more stories, but that is really my sister’s field of expertise. Aneska says hello, by the way; I trust you remember her?
I am taken aback to hear you imply you have had unpleasant experiences so far. What a pity, I thought this change of career would have been solely beneficial. Uagadou does not happen to be hosting any international events in recent times, but I am aware that there will be an occasion soon at Tenūsa (by which I mean tomorrow). Perhaps we can finally meet face to face there, if you are coming.
Yours faithfully,
Anton
P.S. Simply Anton is fine as it always has been. Despite the times parted there is no need for the added and sudden formality of my full name.
we are all stardust and stories. we are all dreams.
Archer Duncan | Liliya Starkova
Archer Duncan | Liliya Starkova
Pasts that Fuel the Future
Anthonie’s reply came knocking at the window of the Hogwarts library well past when Kitty would have had any energy to reply. The drafting of lesson plans, while a new and certainly exciting challenge, was eating up a lot of her time; and during the hours she was not staying up in the library with less sleep than advisable, she was trying to organize the rest of her new life at Hogwarts.
And so, for a week, the letter waited in one of the drawers of Kitty’s new desk, out of sight yet not out of mind. Only after a few days of classes had already gone off without a hitch did Kitty find it in herself to compose a response, and the process went, embarrassingly, far slower than she wanted. Far slower than her original letter, too, thanks to the post scriptum Anton had left behind. The page quickly filled with crossed out words she wasn’t sure she would want Anthonie — Anton? — to see, and yet found herself staring at for a good few minutes, sinking into her comfortable chair.
And so, for a week, the letter waited in one of the drawers of Kitty’s new desk, out of sight yet not out of mind. Only after a few days of classes had already gone off without a hitch did Kitty find it in herself to compose a response, and the process went, embarrassingly, far slower than she wanted. Far slower than her original letter, too, thanks to the post scriptum Anton had left behind. The page quickly filled with crossed out words she wasn’t sure she would want Anthonie — Anton? — to see, and yet found herself staring at for a good few minutes, sinking into her comfortable chair.
Dear Anthonie
Dear Anton
Dear Anth
My dear friend
Dear
What’s in a name? A lot, apparently. Though Anthonie seemed rather decided that she need not use his full name, and equally firm on using Kitty for her, it felt weird to write out something so familiar after years of separation. A month ago, she would have said that that kind of familiarity ended when their friendship did — years ago, abruptly, unpleasantly. Here and now, however, the words that came in Anton’s letters were so easy to hear in his voice, and she was no longer an emotionally volatile eighteen year old. It would be silly to hold anything against him, especially after he reached out with kindness Kitty did not know she deserved.
He was still Anton, after all, and after only a minute longer of deliberation, Kitty got a fresh piece of paper and wrote back.
He was still Anton, after all, and after only a minute longer of deliberation, Kitty got a fresh piece of paper and wrote back.
From: Kitty Townsend
To: @Anthonie Engelbrecht
Dear Anton,
I’m so sorry about the delay on this response. Preparing for my classes has taken up most of my time and energy — and that included the New Year as well. I hope your celebrations were fun; my dislike of champagne and the kind of parties that serve it has not changed even after turning twenty one, though I can’t imagine that comes as a surprise. Your taste was always far more mature than mine.
I will admit, I don’t fully know what to do with the knowledge you couldn’t get ahold of my address prior — I am slightly embarrassed to admit the idea of you even wanting to write didn’t really cross my mind, thanks to those less than flattering moments you mention. All of that was far too long ago, now, and I’d be happy to forget them if you it would allow us a chance to reconnect. Properly so.
It’s only fair to say, where you consider your lack of travel a shame, I consider my lack of your drive and dedication one. To go from Law to a subject like that, and to specialize in animagi, too — certainly takes a mind far less fickle than mine. My stories pale in comparison, I assure you; cursebreaking is a lot more pouring over runes than many imagine, and I have breathed in far too much floo powder for one lifetime.
I hope Aneska is doing well! If you get a moment, do tell me how she’s doing these days. She would have graduated by now, no?
Don’t worry too much over my change of career; I miss my falling asleep on top of a book of runes and inhaling floo powder weekly, but the first week or so of classes has been genuinely lovely, only surprising. Perhaps not solely beneficial, but a change in pace that I think will do me well over the next few months, to be sure. The oddest part is people seem to know more about me than I do about them — the disarray and accident from my job at Gringotts seems to have made news big enough for both students and faculty to hear. Frankly, it’s been nice to have someone write to me and not immediately pry about it.
I definitely missed the Tenūsa event you wrote about; I hope you had fun, and if you’d be willing to share, I’d be glad to hear all about it. We have to meet whenever the occasion arises; though letters are nice, I think it would be even nicer to see each other face to face. Properly so.
Best,
Kitty
The more Kitty wrote, the easier the words came, feeling oddly familiar once more, at the intersection of a past and present she didn’t know she was nostalgic for until now.
esme hestridge. second year slytherin duelist. |
thales amaro. second year castelobruxo quidditch. |
Pasts that Fuel the Future
Twenty five years old was too young, the had said. Why hire someone who would butcher the position, and leave before he saw his first grey hair?
Anthonie begged to differ — any more of stress he would start seeing white amongst deep blonde. The working world of academia, he soon learnt, was more difficult to romanticise.
Therefore Kitty’s letter, late as it was, came as a pleasant surprise. While he had been anticipating a reply, he had not expected the owl’s journey to have been made at such hours, and it was just when he was preparing to sleep that it perched on the window of his quarters, just letting in the cool mountain breeze.
He thanked it, and saved the letter on his pack, only to, ashamedly, forget about it the next day amongst a sea of other papers.
Eventually, what salvaged their correspondence was the blatant need for the familiar, yet distant.
Mechanically, he ensured the letter secured in the owl’s claws, before sending it without further thought of the past, the present, and the forever on-winding future.
Note: dated just before Koldov event.
Anthonie begged to differ — any more of stress he would start seeing white amongst deep blonde. The working world of academia, he soon learnt, was more difficult to romanticise.
Therefore Kitty’s letter, late as it was, came as a pleasant surprise. While he had been anticipating a reply, he had not expected the owl’s journey to have been made at such hours, and it was just when he was preparing to sleep that it perched on the window of his quarters, just letting in the cool mountain breeze.
He thanked it, and saved the letter on his pack, only to, ashamedly, forget about it the next day amongst a sea of other papers.
Eventually, what salvaged their correspondence was the blatant need for the familiar, yet distant.
What prompted Anthonie for such a sudden change of topic towards much more personal matters was beyond him. Was it truly a fact he wanted to share sans motives, or did he urge to prove to the target of his correspondence she could share her own life too? Perhaps it was merely another reminiscent of past times, when he would spill out his affairs to a girl far overseas. He recalled the days when he asked Katherine for advice, like the lost teenager he was. Now, they were long gone, replaced by something less, yet something undeniably more.to: @Katherine Townsend
from: Anthonie Engelbrecht
Dear Kitty,
Do not worry about your delay in response. Mine had not been entirely timely either. Trust this is merely because of circumstance.
I am glad to not have seen you at Tenūsa, for the event soon become catastrophic as a variant of the Devil’s Snare attacked our accommodations. I shake my head at the incompetence of the headmaster; such a thing would never happen under my control. Thankfully, my students exited the school unscathed.
What a waste; I had my ski excursion cut short.
We do have another opportunity coming up to meet in person, that being the event at Koldovstoretz. I shudder to think what other disasters may happen in the faraway land of Russia, but as you know me, I have always been an optimist. My students are looking to make an attendance, and I carry the responsibility of attending with them.
I am thinking of hosting a tea party, just for the two of us. I shall give you more information once we are settled in comfortably at the occasion. You’ve always enjoyed such matters, no?
Matters of formality aside, only now have I realised I have missed the most important update in my life. Kitty, I hope to soon be a fiancé. How cruel the parting of time is (and how cruel it’s fast passing, for yes, Aneska is already a year out of university), even such important matters you do not know! Remember how we used to gossip as we drove through America?
I start my story, as all stories start, with “I met a woman.” I have many compliments for this woman, and I doubt I would interest you if I ramble about her values. After many a-college-fling — uncharacteristic of me, I am aware, but I suppose that was indeed how un-stimulating law was for me — I had more or less lost hope in the characterisation of romance. Even more uncharacteristic of me!
Lihle appeared in my life soon after a break up, in my final year of university. This time, unlike the rest, I held off dating her for fear it was another vicious cycle of rebound after rebound. It is almost embarrassing for me to tell this story again, now that I’ve matured, but what are you in college if not naïve?
She knows my human nature well. After all, she is an anthropologist. We have been dating steadily for four years. I plan to propose to her this Easter Break, on her favourite patch of safari, the one my family went to, and had begun to take her to after we’ve known each other for three years.
If you know where to look, there is such beauty in life. Even better, if you train your eyes to find it everywhere, not for some kind of innocent faith in the world, but a well-grounded faith in the self.
I hope to see you in Russia!
Regards,
Anton.
Mechanically, he ensured the letter secured in the owl’s claws, before sending it without further thought of the past, the present, and the forever on-winding future.
Note: dated just before Koldov event.
we are all stardust and stories. we are all dreams.
Archer Duncan | Liliya Starkova
Archer Duncan | Liliya Starkova