• Romeo, Juliet & Cinderella • | Tomrry

Act. VIII. Letters and more Letters

Exercising in the morning and evening is a routine that doesn't cost much to initiate. Harriet is determined to achieve at least a minimal change in her body. It doesn't want to cooperate as it should. It has become a habit to do routines with her parents. James in the morning, Lily in the afternoon. Sometimes both hours with both or all alone when they work.

The flesh on her thighs-not much of it-feels firmer and there is a very slight showing in her rear. Or maybe it's just her seeing it. It's not a problem. Quite the contrary, it just gives her encouragement to keep at it to keep doing it. There's a chance she'll have a nice body afterwards.

At least that's what James told her and Harriet wants to believe in it.

As she starts the second week of vacation, doing her potions homework with almost no problems, she thinks of Tom. She can't help it. It is thanks to him that she understands what is on this endless parchment. She can tell that Snape has nothing better to do with his life. She comes to doubt that he reads all this. Or maybe he does to highlight every last mistake.

So she thinks about asking her mom to proofread it later. Harriet wrote first on paper, then on parchment and so, she'll tell what's right, what's wrong, all done and dandy. No chance of Snape messing it up as usual. In this process, she decides to send her first letter to Tom:

"I'm doing summer homework (which never seems to end What a bummer!) and I realized it's not that hard because you even explained to me what ancestral metal pewter cauldrons are usually made of. Awesome. Five stars as a teacher even if you don't have much patience with your one student.

Have you thought about what you're going to be when you graduate? Or do you just plan to be a bitter nobleman as soon as we get our hands on the fact that you are indeed heir to Salazar? It would suit you. a less obnoxious version of Lucius Malfoy."

"By the way, I haven't told my parents you're an orphan. I didn't know if that would make you uncomfortable Do you mind if I tell them? That way it won't be so weird if I tell you to go out somewhere."

Harriet folds the letter, opens Hedwig's cage, and her energetic owl takes off. She throws herself on the bed and listens to music on the headphones Sirius bought her in the USA. That's the advantage of having a relative who travels so much.

She'll always have the most curious things within reach.

┈ ⋞ 〈 ✷ 〉 ⋟ ┈

Tom tidies up all the summer homework he was left with. It was a lot, but so simple he could do it in the blink of an eye. Not that he had much to do either. Just studying for another IQ test, a spelling bee and other things that, in the long run, only help the orphanage. They've taken in forty children in the two-week time frame he has here. The food is less, the silence is less, the space is barely holding up.

Tom hates being in this place.

Tom is surprised by the arrival of Hedwig. He pets the animal, getting a couple of gentle nibbles from her, and takes the letter. He doesn't avoid snorting a laugh, amused at what Harriet wrote. Tom has nothing better to do beyond looking at the ceiling and rereading some book, his notes, what he did manage to transfer from the Hogwarts books.

"I was patient enough to help you, which is a lot. I don't help anyone from Slytherin. They're a bunch of good-for-nothings with good last names. It's unbearable that people like that, think they're superior to me. None of them get an E in half their classes."

"Anyway, it's gratifying to know that my time investment worked. It means that underneath that hair, there's brains. More than I can say for everyone in your house (except Hermione, I still can't explain why she's not in Ravenclaw). As for what I'll be, I haven't thought about it, but I'll most likely go for politics. It's something that catches my attention. I could change things. A lot of things. I don't know whether to say I'll be like Lucius Malfoy. I don't know him. Only by name and by seeing him from afar from time to time."