Patrick Stump and the Flying Car Brigade

Chapter 3

Chapter 3

The first letter that I picked up was the one from Hogwarts. I took a deep breath, knowing that my OWL scores were enclosed in that envelope, and then tore it open. My OWL scores fell out, along with my supply list. I picked up the OWL scores first and read them.

Ordinary Wizarding Level Results

Pass Grades:

Outstanding (O)

Exceeds Expectations (E)

Acceptable (A)

Fail Grades:

Poor (P)

Dreadful (D)

Troll (T)

Patrick Vaughn Stump Has Achieved:

Astronomy - E

Care of Magical Creatures - E

Charms - O

Defence Against The Dark Arts - O

Herbology - O

History of Magic - A

Muggle Studies - A

Potions - E

Transfiguration - E

I was thrilled. I had passed all of my exams! Mum likely wouldn't be happy about my Muggle Studies score - she was a Muggle Liason, after all - but I wasn't planning to continue in that class anyways. The scores were far better than I expected them to be, and I couldn't wait to tell everyone else. I turned to the supply list, which seemed pretty standard. There wasn't anything exciting there, so I opened the other letter and read it.

Dear Patrick,

Joe is the coolest guy ever. He got us tickets to the Quidditch League Cup finals! Can you please come with us? It's on the 19th, and we have four tickets, so you and I can go with Joe and Andy. Please come! Tonight is all about "We miss you," and I can't wait to see you again.

Love,

Your Best Kept Secret and Your Biggest Mistake

P.S. I have a huge surprise for you the next time you see me :)

I wasn't a huge Quidditch fan, but I couldn't wait to see Joe, Pete, and Andy again. I ran downstairs and shouted, "Mum, Dad, can I go to the Quidditch game with Andy, Pete, and Joe on 19 July?"

"Yes, you can go, Patrick," Mum said. I went back upstairs and immediately started writing a reply back to Pete.

Dear Pete,

Yes, I can go! I'll just have to figure out where the nearest Portkey is so I can get there. I miss missing you now and then, Pete, and you're not a secret or a mistake to me. Please stop saying that.

Love,

Patrick (or whichever one of your many nicknames for me suits your fancy today)

P.S. Can't wait for your surprise.

P.P.S. My OWL results came in! I passed all of my exams, and I got an O in Charms, Defence Against The Dark Arts, and Herbology!

I put the letter in an envelope and gave it to Soul Punk, who immediately flew off to Pete's home in Godric's Hollow. I waited for a while, and about an hour later, Pete's owl arrived with his reply.

Dear Trick/Lunchbox/Rickster Von Stump/Patty Boy/Sophomore Stump (Or Comeback of the Year)/My Beautiful and Adorable Boyfriend Patrick Stump,

I'm so glad you can come! I think the Portkey closest to you is in Montrose, but you should probably ask Joe. He would know that. See you at the game, and go Puddlemere United!

Reinvent love!

Pete

P.S. Why are you so much smarter than me? I only got one O on my OWLs. Congratulations anyways!

I couldn't help but smile as I read Pete's letters. He always knew how to make me happy. Pete was why I couldn't wait until the school year started again. I wrote one last letter back to him.

Dear Pete,

Doesn't Joe live in Montrose? I might just meet him there, and then we can take the Portkey together. We'll have to make plans to go to Diagon Alley too, but we can do that at the Quidditch game. See you then!

Love,

Patrick

P.S. I'm not smarter than you. You're very intelligent too, Pete. I remember looking at your OWL scores last year, and you did just as well as I did.

I put that letter into an envelope and gave it to Soul Punk, who immediately flew off. Soul Punk arrived back home a little bit later, but Pete's owl didn't come again. I picked up the piece of parchment that Gerard had given me once again. What was so special about this? It seemed perfectly ordinary to me. Gerard's instructions hadn't been very helpful either. "Remember to say 'Mischief Managed' when you're done and take this to your grave?" What did that even mean? I had no clue what Gerard was talking about, as usual.

I lay down on my bed, still wondering about the parchment, but I had a few other things on my mind too. I still wasn't sure what to do about the move, and I was still daydreaming about seeing Pete again. I used to waste my time dreaming of being alive, but now I only wasted it dreaming of him. It wasn't much of an improvement, if you asked me.

I had so many wonderful memories of Pete. I remembered when I first saw Pete on the Hogwarts Express. I thought he was a tad bit unusual at first, with his eyeliner and emo hair, but I got used to it. I remembered when Pete told me that he liked me, and my heart felt like it was going to explode. I remembered all of the good times we had throughout fourth and fifth year, from the snowball fights in the winter to the weekends at Hogsmeade to the days by the Black Lake. All of these memories reminded me just how much I loved Pete, and it made the thought of moving even more painful.

At the very least, I knew that I would see him again soon, and I didn't have to tell him right away. I still had a whole year to look forward to. I just hoped that this year would be as magical as all of the ones before, knowing that it would be my last at Hogwarts.