Letters on the Wind

Lily dear,

I'm sorry.

I'm sorry that you're dead and I'm alive. I'm sorry that you will never see your son grow up. Most of all, I'm sorry that everyone is celebrating today. You deserve better than to be forgotten.

Love,

Molly

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Dear Lily,

Your son turns two today.

After everything, I asked Dumbledore if I could take Harry in. He said no; he preferred for him to grow up in the Muggle world. I keep on worrying, though. You've told me what your sister is like.

I owled Harry a present; I hope he'll get it. Come to think of it, I hope you'll get this letter. I'm simply going to set it on the wind and let it fly away, but we live in a world of magic. It's not that much of a stretch, is it?

Love,

Molly

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Dear Lily,

I thought that I might tell you about my children. You've never met them, but you always did like to hear about them. I'll start from the beginning, oldest to youngest.

Bill is twelve. He's in his first year at Hogwarts, and from what I hear he's a model student. His teachers rave about him. Rather like they did with you, if I remember correctly?

Charlie is ten, and a complete wild child. He's always sneaking off at night to go flying, and he never helps with the washing. He's currently going through an obsession with dragons, so we'll see how long that lasts. Not long, I'll wager – his attention span is ridiculously short.

Percy is six, and about as different from Charlie as possible. He's helpful and industrious, and he's always poring over Arthur's big old books. He's also very ambitious – I have no doubt he can do anything he sets his mind to.

Fred and George, the twins, are four, and the trouble they give me, Lily! Just half an hour ago I found that they'd stolen my wand and were attempting to blow up the kitchen table. Before that they managed to put slugs in Percy's socks, and before that... well, you get the idea. But I always find it hard to get angry with them, because when they laugh it's like the world laughs with them.

Ron is just a few months older than Harry: he'll turn three in a few weeks. He's a quiet child and hardly ever fusses. Something of a relief when I have to deal with the twins, I can tell you!

Ginny, my littlest, is one. I can already tell that she's a boisterous baby; she hates to be left in the crib while her brothers are playing, so generally I let her out. She has a special fascination for Fred and George's antics, which worries me a little; I would much prefer it if she tried to emulate Percy. All her brothers adore her, though, which is lucky. I was so scared that the boys would ostracise her, as the only girl and the youngest.

I hope that cheered you up a little, Lily. I promise I'm trying my best to get word of Harry.

All my love,

Molly

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Dear Lily,

I haven't written you for years! I've been so busy with all the children growing up, but I thought I should tell you about this at least.

I saw your son! We'd gone to drop the boys off at King's Cross (Ron is starting his first year – where does the time go?) and he came up to me, very politely, and asked me how to get onto the platform. The poor thing had been left all alone; it made me so angry! But he seems to be a reasonably happy young boy. A little skinny, but then James always was as well, wasn't he?