Loyalties | Barty Crouch Jr

The Letters

December 13, 1977 - Tuesday

"Why do you seem so anxious?" Leonora asked Illyria during breakfast as she watched the girl play with her food and anxiously tap her foot down repeatedly.

"My parents owled me yesterday morning saying they had big news for me today. I can't help but think it's somehow related to him."

Leonora frowned. "I wouldn't worry too much over it being about that. Over the summer, it sounded to me like your mum wanted you to wait until we graduate for you to have anything to do with him."

"I know, but my father; he wouldn't care."

"Why do you look like you've seen a ghost, Illyria?" Thalia asked, suddenly appearing and sitting across from the girls.

Illyria stayed silent, still anxiously bouncing her right foot.

"She's expecting a letter from her parents," Leonora updated the girl. "They say they have big news for her."

"Oh, that's wonderful," Thalia beamed. "I'm expecting a letter with big news from my parents as well."

Illyria subtly glanced in Leonora's direction, her eyes wide with fear.

"Do you have any idea what yours is about?" Leonora asked the girl.

The girl rolled her eyes. "If I knew, then they wouldn't have to send me a letter, Nora."

"Obviously," Leonora snapped back. "I only mean, do you think it's about the Dark Lord?"

"No, of course not," Thalia scoffed. "My parents would never send me a letter containing anything about him. What if the owl were to get intercepted? Or if the owl somehow dropped it and the wrong person got ahold of it? It would mean Azkaban for my whole family."

"Well, that's good," Leonora said to no one in particular. She hoped that it would make Illyria feel a bit better about the news she was going to receive. She figured the Malfoy's wouldn't be so stupid either as to put anything about the Dark Lord in a letter.

About halfway through breakfast, screeching owls could finally be heard arriving to the great hall. The three girls watched as they flew in, waiting for their own owls to appear. Leonora typically never got any mail, so she wasn't surprised when she didn't spot her own owl.

Thalia and Illyria's owls, however, like they expected, both dropped a thin, single envelope in front of the both of them. Illyria eyed her letter, too nervous to open it. Thalia, on the other hand, ripped hers open, throwing the envelope on the ground.

The girl quickly skimmed through her letter, a smile gradually growing bigger on her face.

"Well? What does it say?" Leonora asked curiously.

"I am to be betrothed."

"To whom?"

"Evan," the girl sighed dreamily, glancing over to where the boy was sitting with a scowl. 

Leonora spotted the letter he held in his own hands, realizing that he must have gotten a similar one.

"Mrs. Thalia Rosier Lestrange. It perfectly rolls right off the tongue. Don't you girls think?"

"Sure," Leonora openly rolled her eyes at the girl.

Thalia briefly glared at her before turning her attention towards Illyria. "Are you going to open your letter?" she asked the girl.