Everlasting ⁂ Harry Potter [1]

Chapter Forty

Hope sat on her bed in her dorm room, cherishing one of the rare moments she had the room all to herself as she let her quill move across the piece of parchment set down on the book in her lap. If she had been writing homework or doing school work, she would have gone to the library most likely, however, she was writing a letter instead. Although not one she planned on sending by owl.

Ever since the start of second term, Hope had been writing letters to Liv. While many of their friends often spoke to Olivia during their visits, choosing to believe the Hufflepuff could hear them, to Hope it all felt a bit awkward. Not only was it odd having a one sided conversation, but if it was true and Liv could hear them, that would mean that every other Petrified student could hear her too. Along with whoever else may be in the Hospital Wing at the time.

But she also didn't want Liv to feel like she didn't want to talk to her either. And so Hope ended up writing her friend letters. And lots of them. Every time she felt like turning to Liv in class and telling her something, commenting on Lockhart's foolish behaviour, or how amazing it was every time they got to see Professor McGonagall in her Animagus form, she wrote it all down. She wrote to her about the Quidditch games and about the general events in the castle. And in every letter she told her how much she missed her and hated not having her around.

And just like all the times before, Hope finished the letter she was writing mentioning it for what seemed like the hundredth time. With a small smile, she folded it up and tucked it into an envelope. She knew she wasn't sending the letter, but she still put in the effort to write Olivia's name on the paper before she moved over to her nightstand, ready to tuck the letter away in her drawer along with the rest of them. However, as she opened it, Hope's eyes widened as she was met with the sight of an empty drawer. All of the letters were gone.

She was about to start a wild search, ready to look all around the room if she had to to find them all. She couldn't understand how they'd disappeared. She hadn't moved them or taken them some place. They were always in her drawer, waiting for Liv to wake up so she could give them to her. But before she could start looking, a voice came from the entrance to the door, making Hope turn around and look at Pansy and Milicent as they made their way inside.

"Looking for something?" Pansy asked with a smirk on her face, both her and Milicent waving a batch of letters in each of their hands through the air. As they did, Hope spotted her handwriting across them, and suddenly it clicked. Her letters didn't disappear, Pansy and Milicent had taken them. And from what she could see, they'd opened them as well.

"Give them back." Hope marched over to the two, but before she even had a chance to reach them, Pansy and Milicent parted ways, each rushing to either side of the room, taking the letters out of Hope's reach.

"But they're so much fun to read." Pansy whined as she unfolded one of the letters after pulling it out of the envelope. "Dear Liv, I really miss you. It's odd not having a partner in Potions. And in DADA Neville has offered to keep me company. He's a lot more quiet than you, and sure he'll never replace you, but I still like sitting with him. He is really sweet."