7. Toujours Pur: Regulus Black
Sirius picked up the next letter before tossing it to Lupin. –Regulus,†he spat.
Harry thought back and remembered Sirius's brother from the old family tree. Unlike Sirius, he hadn't been burned off.
–He must have been in his second or third year here,†Lupin said.
–We were in fifth, so he would have been fourteen.†Sirius glanced at the letter again. –He always wrote with superiority, like he thought he was better than everyone else. Really thought he was something special.â€
Regulus,
Owls are being intercepted, mail opened and read, and there is no guarantee this letter won't reach the wrong hands. I don't know what they're playing at. I obviously can't write anything about my recent activities, but I'm sure I won't forget any time soon, there's no need to remind myself.
I've become powerful. I can feel it. It's the power a wizard has over a Muggle. A pureblood has over a Mudblood. That I have over my brother, especially in the eyes of my mother. It's the kind of power that comes from a family like mine. Cousins Bella and Cissy knew, they're the ones who made me feel it. Following in their footsteps has been the best decision of my life. Even Slughorn can't deny it—of course he's invited me to his little Slug Club, and not just because of Quidditch. And he's had the sense not to invite Sirius, who really doesn't understand. –What's a spiny little bugger like you doing there?†he asks me. Why am I suddenly so important? If only he knew, I really do pity him. These days, power is everything. No one is safe unless they have the right alliances. It's all I can do to keep my family out of trouble, and it's probably for the best that Mum is ready to disown Sirius—she'll do it any day now, I'm sure. He's as much as a traitor as half his House—he'll put us all in danger.
Remember this in the future. Remember where your loyalties lie, and always protect your family, because they may be too blind to see the way.
Regulus Arcturus Black
Toujours Pur
–Always protect your family...†Sirius muttered. –Being called a traitor by Regulus is almost an honor!â€
Lupin looked at him disapprovingly.
–What's this Slug Club?†Harry asked.
Sirius smiled ruefully. –The old Potions master, Slughorn, fancied himself somewhat of a collector. He would invite any student who showed any sort of promise to these little parties of his, in the hope of gaining favors in the future.â€
–My mother mentioned it,†Harry said.
–Yes.†Lupin nodded. –She was an incredibly good potion maker. Slughorn really liked her.â€
His mother... good at Potions? Harry certainly hadn't inherited that trait. –Was my father...?†he trailed off.
–Neither good at Potions nor invited to the Slug Club,†Lupin said, laughing. –Oh, he tried.â€
–Back then I always wondered how Regulus got an invite. Turns out it was because he was a powerful little teenager. A Death Eater.â€
--
8. The Snorkack Quest: Xenophilius Lovegood
Lupin took the next letter from the top of the pile. –Xenophilius Lovegood,†he muttered.
–That's the editor of The Quibbler, isn't it?†Sirius narrowed his eyes.
–Yeah,†Harry said. –His daughter's in—†he faltered, not wanting to bring up Dumbledore's Army. –She's in Ravenclaw,†he finished lamely.
Lupin nodded. –I remember seeing him around. He was much older than us. Always had his head in the clouds.â€
Harry chuckled. –That's Luna for you. Ever heard of a wrackspurt or a nargle?â€
Lupin and Sirius both raised their eyebrows.
Suddenly, Sirius’s lips formed a silent –O.†–He was dating Dorcas’s older sister, Cleodora. The two of them fled the country to go look for their snorlacks.†He sighed. –It drove Dorcas crazy. Never did find out what happened to the two of them.â€
My dearest Xenophilius,
When I read this letter in the future, I hope I will remember this time fondly. This year begins the first year of the rest of my life. Yes, you guessed it—I no longer see the need for formal education, not when there is a quest to be undertaken! The highly elusive, utterly rare and extremely beautiful Crumple Horned Snorkack has been spotted in Sweden! I shall journey there this summer with my beautiful Cleodora, and we won't rest until we get a glimpse. Whether I return to Hogwarts or not, we shall see. If I am lucky enough to find the Snorkack and have a proper conversation, I might find some clues on the whereabouts of the Umgubular Shlashkilter, and from there, the wide world is at my fingertips!
I shall wrap this letter up early, for I have a meeting with Professor Dumbledore. He has once again refused to look into my beliefs that Professor Slughorn is a vampire. Those –club†parties he has must be a mere excuse to draw blood from his victims—the partygoers always emerge looking a little pale, and I am quite worried. While I am at it, I will see if I can persuade him to add a patch of Dirigible Plums to the gardens. They do enhance the ability to accept the extraordinary, you know. I would be happy to provide some seeds from my personal potted plant in my dormitory.
Best,
Xeno
(a strange triangle symbol)
–Slughorn? A vampire?†Sirius scoffed. –That's about as likely as a werewolf in the school!†Lupin gave him a glare. –Only joking...†Sirius added quickly.
–What's that symbol below his name?†Harry asked. Below his signature was a strange triangular rune of some sort.
Lupin looked closer. –It could be a crest. A family crest maybe?â€
–He was a nutter,†Sirius said. –It could be anything.†And he reached for the next letter.
--
9. Peter Pettigrew: Rat Tails
This time, it was Harry who threw the letter down in disgust. He couldn't even look at the writing of the man who had once been friends with his parents, who had betrayed them. Who had escaped capture again and again by turning into that wretched rat.
Lupin sighed, eyeing Harry. –It's so hard to believe it.â€
Dear Peter,
Isn't this great? A letter to yourself in ten or twenty years! Perfect to remember all the great times with your best friends. Just this morning, James did one of his coolest stunts yet. He found this charm that would levitate someone by their ankle! Of course he tried it out on Snape first before anyone else, and blimey, it was like he was dangling from the sky by his foot! And then—get this—he gave me a try! Sirius was laughing too hard to pull himself together, so James asked me if I'd like to try! With only a little difficulty I lifted Snape into the air, muffling out his cries (after all, that would have been me if I hadn't gotten lucky with my friends) and then everyone was cheering... for me! I felt like a regular James or Sirius. You have no idea how good it felt. I can only hope it put them in such good spirits that they'll be in the mood to help me with my Transfiguration homework later, because last night they were –too tired†and I received a T. Troll! I've never heard of anyone actually getting a Troll! But then again, I don't think McGonagall likes me at all which is a real shame, because she's bloody in love with James and Sirius. Oh, here she is now... I should get started on that essay...
Until later,
Peter –Wormtail†Pettigrew
–He worshipped the ground we walked on,†Sirius said quietly. –Couldn't believe he actually had friends.â€
–If not for us, he would have been worse off than Severus,†Lupin agreed.
Harry could feel the anger building up inside of him. How could they have befriended this sorry excuse for a man, this man who was willing to sacrifice his best friends? They shouldn't have. Then he would have parents.
–How did we ever get stuck with him?†Sirius asked, mirroring some of Harry's anger.
–I felt bad for him,†Lupin said miserably. –He seemed to be in the same position as I was before we were friends.â€
Harry's face grew hot and he could contain it no longer. –HE BLOODY KILLED MY PARENTS!†Harry bellowed, breathing deeply. He heard footsteps outside the room and Mrs. Weasley poked her head in.
–Is everything alright?†she whispered.
–Yes, Molly,†Lupin said. –We're just... talking.â€
Moments later, as Mrs. Weasley gave Harry a soft look and went back downstairs, Harry was already ashamed of his outburst.
–We never saw it coming,†Sirius whispered. –It was supposed to be me, I was supposed to be the Secret-Keeper.â€
–Pettigrew was weak, we knew that. He wasn't exceptionally bright or talented. So that's why James chose him, I think. Nobody would have suspected him.â€
By then, the three of them were glassy-eyed and trying to conceal it. Harry waited a moment before boldly picking up the next letter.
Love, Hogwarts by Amortentia Black
Chapter Notes: Harry and Sirius read letters from Regulus, Xeno Lovegood, and Peter Pettigrew and Harry realizes how the stories might be coming together...
Chapter Endnotes: The second to last installment of Love, Hogwarts.