Dear dad,
Well, you said to write if anything alarming happened, and something has, and to one of my dormmates. You remember Katie Bell, the girl from the Quidditch team? I don’t know why anyone would want to hurt her, but now she’s in St. Mungo’s. I don’t know what happened exactly. Leanne Matthews does, but she won’t say anything about it. The strongest rumour is that someone planted a cursed opal necklace on her during the trip of Hogsmeade yesterday and it nearly killed her.
I’ll admit I’m scared. If I could think of a reason she might be attacked instead of me, I might not be as frightened. But I can’t. It could have just as easily been Leanne, or me, or any of us. The only thing that makes me feel better is that they couldn’t attack until we were in Hogsmeade. I’m at Hogwarts now, and I think I’ll be okay. I just hope Katie will be okay.
Love,
Mariah
October 16, 1996
Dear Henry,
Katie’s been attacked! My daughter! Your niece!
They haven’t even told me exactly what happened. All I know was she was sent into a fit by a cursed opal necklace which she received while in Hogsmeade. They made sure to assure me that Hogwarts was still a secure place, but didn’t mention that the necklace would have been fatal if she’d had much more contact with it than it did. If the Healers hadn’t told me, I would never have known! The Healers also say they can cure her, but they always tell you that, while she’s strapped down to a bed because she’s kicking and flailing and screaming without stopping! She’s been doing so for two days now. The Healers don’t seem at all bothered by this. They say curing her will take months. They’re letting her have visitors freely, hoping one of them may cause her to snap out of it, maybe, but I think it’s because it’s hard to stay near her very long. I can’t do it. Neither can Albert. I don’t think there would be any use in you coming to see her either.
We’ve been interviewed by a reporter from the Prophet. I answered his questions in return for a promise that our names wouldn’t be used in the paper. I don’t want them there right now, with the world pouring in. I can’t stand to read the news these days, though, so if they do use our names, please alert me to it.
Your Loving Sister,
Kathy Bell
October 17, 1996
Hey Katie,
Managed a whole game without Dementors interrupting for once, but only because Angela caught the snitch in fifteen. So we’re at the front of the League for the season so far, but I think they’ll cancel the season by the time the month’s over.
I read in the paper about a seventh-year being attacked, with no name given. Hope it wasn’t your friend Leanne.
Love,
Marcus
October 18, 1996
Dear Father,
I’m afraid I haven’t been able to find out much about the necklace. I did hear that it spent a long time in Borgin and Burkes, but you know we would be unlikely to get an interview out of Mr. Borgin. I hope that old curse he gave you isn’t hurting you too much. Katie Bell might give some answers. She’s a very nice girl. We talked to each other once in the DA, and she didn’t laugh at me. I hope she gets out of the hospital soon, and not just because we can’t ask her anything until then.
There still haven’t been any more DA meetings. I don’t know why we’re not having them anymore, just because the Defense teacher has changed again. After all, it’s well known that Professor Snape would unleash Memory Eaters on any fifth-year Potions student that he really didn’t want to continue to teach, but he thought could get an O on the O.W.L., meaning he would have to. And since between the subject being more general and needed to be known by everyone because of You-Know-Who, he can’t at all rely on the O.W.L.s to get rid of students for him without releasing Memory Eaters on the entire class. He can’t have sent them out yet because I’ve been remembering what he’s teaching us, but once he starts we’ll need the DA to pass the O.W.L.
Love,
Luna
October 19, 1996
Dad,
For the last time, I think I’m safest here! You said yourself, they went after Great-Aunt Amelia because she was important, because if they hadn’t she probably would have replaced Fudge, and You-Know-Who preferred Scrimgeour because he was more likely to hinder Dumbledore. You talked about Hannah’s mum, but she was killed because of lax security, which there isn’t any of here, and they’re not going to break through all of Hogwarts security just to get to me. I’m not important at all. I don’t even have those silly nightmares anymore! I don’t think we’re going to be going into Hogsmeade anymore after this incident, so that’s not a danger either. So let me stay here and take my N.E.W.T.s, when I’ve been working for over five years at this school and I shouldn’t throw it all away over just one incident!
Sincerely,
Susan
October 20, 1995
Katie,
Why haven’t you written back? You’re making me worried it was you who was attacked, but I think if it was someone would have told me.
Marcus (letter written on enchanted double-scroll parchment, which automatically writes out a copy on another piece of parchment)
October 21, 1996
Dear Angelina Johnson and Alicia Spinnet,
Since I know you two are good friends of Katie Bell, I would like you to visit her in St. Mungo’s and tell me how she is. Madam Pomfrey doesn’t know and I can’t leave Hogwarts.
Thank You,
Leanne Matthews
October 22, 1996
Katie,
PLEASE WRITE!
October 23, 1996
Dear Angelina,
I finally got through to the ward where they’re keeping Katie. She’s in a really bad way. Does nothing but kick and scream, completely unaware of where or who she is or what’s going on around her, according to the Healers. I’ve written to Leanne, but there really wasn’t much to say. The Healers also say she came in this way, so that just means no change.
However, we have another problem. There were three short notes by her bedside, which I am fairly certain were from Marcus Flint. He seems unaware that Katie was the seventh-year referred to in the Prophet as being attacked; her name wasn’t given, I assume on the request of her parents. He seems very worried that she hasn’t written back. I know we’ve seen them together a couple of times, but I had no idea they had any reason to write to each other. I think we should tell him what happened, but we are definitely finding out the reason he’s so concerned. I’m really hoping he isn’t her boyfriend. Floo over to my place tomorrow before 10 and we’ll write to him together.
Till the Firebolt catches fire,
Alicia
October 24, 1996
Dear Mr. Flint,
We have seen your missives to our friend Katie, and we believe it falls to us to inform you that she is currently in St. Mungo’s Hospital, suffering the violent aftereffects of a cursed necklace. We are seriously wondering, however, what business you have in writing to her. Please tell us.
Signed,
Angelina Johnson and Alicia Spinnet
October 25, 1996
Dear Alicia,
I’m afraid your hope was officially in vain. When I dropped into St. Mungo’s this morning, I found Marcus there. In a dirty Falcons uniform. I can only assume he was wearing when he received our letter, and then he ran to the hospital without changing. If he had taken much more time, he couldn’t have been got into the ward by the time I found him there either. He spent half his time trying to give her savage shakes (he failed because you can’t keep a hold of her; she’s thrashing too much) and yelling curses at her, and the other half just sitting there sobbing. Yes, he can cry!
He confirmed that he was her boyfriend, and sneered at me for not knowing. He says they were together since before he left Hogwarts. I’m going to wait to hear that from Katie, but I’ve got the terrible feeling he’s telling the truth. After all, it is true she was going off somewhere we didn’t know about, and she always had that oh-so-amused expression when we teased her about her secret boyfriend, though I didn’t really think she actually had one. And now it might have turned out to be him. Can you believe it, that while all that time we were playing against him, they were snogging and doing who knows what else in isolated corners?
He was still there when I left. I think he’s going to be there a lot and we’re just going to have to deal with it. If nothing else, I think he really does love her.
Till more old opponents come out of the woodwork,
Angelina
October 26, 1996
Dear Pheadra,
I think I should have written you earlier, but that’s something I just couldn’t manage. Try to feel sorry for your poor young cousin. The last two weeks have been the hardest of my life. Everyone has been asking me about Katie, and I can barely stand to recall it, though of course it’s always lurking in the back of my mind, especially as I always find myself looking at Katie’s bed, or desk, or anywhere else where she would typically be. At least I don’t have to tell you the details, because there’s not much I can say which the Daily Prophet hasn’t, and I know you’ll believe me when I say that, unlike many people.
What’s kept me sane is doing my homework. There sure is a lot of it for me to do. The Defense Against the Dark Arts homework alone could keep me working straight through a week if I really dedicated myself to doing a thorough job. I will admit, it is easier than the Slinkhard last year. In fact, much as I hate to say anything good about Snape, I like the practical lessons he’s doing. I’ve learned the most from those teachers who have done practical lessons, even though I’ve often ended up riddled with all of Katie’s jinxes during the last month and a half. She really must have studied hard last year, because she wasn't this good before that. Not that it helped her much, it seems. And she could have got the best mark of all of us in the N.E.W.T. for sure, but now her old Quidditch teammates Angelina and Alicia have written to me and said she’s going to be in St. Mungo’s for months. I got a letter from them just this morning, telling them how she’s failed to snap out of her fit at all.
Though I did at least get one laugh out of the letter, when they relayed to me the “shocking” news that Katie’s dating their old foe Marcus Flint. Shocking to them, maybe, but I’d known that forever! And it’s been general knowledge in our dorm since the end of last year. Marcus wrote me too, demanding to know why I hadn’t written to tell him about the attack. I wrote him back to say I’d assumed her parents would write him. Though in retrospect I’ve heard Katie complain that they don’t like him, so maybe I shouldn't have? I hope he doesn't get mad at me. I don't want to have to deal with him, too.
I’m going to close this now and go down to dinner. I don’t know how much I’ll eat though. I haven’t been hungry lately.
Yours Truly,
Leanne
October 27, 1996
Mr. And Mrs. Bell,
I don’t know why you didn’t tell me Katie was in the hospital, but FUCK YOU!
Marcus
October 28, 1996
Dear Henry,
I need your advice. You’ve had three daughters; how did you deal with their boyfriends?
I don’t need to explain the problems with Katie’s boyfriend to you. You manage to identify most of them yourself when you met him. Naturally, Albert and I did not feel at all inclined to tell him about her being attacked. That would imply we thought he had a right to know, in other words, that we approved of the relationship, which we do not. Yet he somehow found out anyway, and sent us the enclosed note. His disrespect shouldn’t shock you, but only because we all know what sort of boy he is.
He’s in the hospital with her now, and he won’t leave her. The Healers won’t let us demand his removal while she's still in her fit. They say there's a chance his constantly being there might just snap her out of it. They’re being wishful. We haven’t actually had to deal with him yet, as the last time we came to see her he happened to be asleep. But when he is awake, Albert and I must somehow make clear to him that he is not to treat us the way he has, and that he should be thankful he’s allowed to be there. You must have more than one way of establishing that; I know your daughters dated some real horrors in their day. Which one would you recommend we use? I dread having to face that boy, but I don’t want him to keep me away from my daughter.
Your Loving Sister,
Kathy Bell
October 29, 1996
Dear mum,
It’s okay, I wasn’t the seventh-year attacked. I’m sure you would have been notified if I was. It was a Gryffindor, name of Katie Bell. You don’t know her.
Sara
October 30, 1996
Dear Samantha,
You’re going to love this, unless of course you’ve heard about it already. I don’t know how hysterical mum got, or if you got around to hearing about it. I don’t know if you’ve heard about the attack even, but one of the seventh-year Gryffindors, Katie Bell, was attacked during our last Hogsmeade visit, and when the Daily Prophet reported it, the silly news people forgot to mention her name. So when I took a little too long to write mum a letter, she assumed that I had been the one attacked, never mind that she hadn’t received any word from the school or St. Mungo’s hospital, where Katie is right now. So I got a letter from her yesterday, all panic and guilt-tripping. If I were more cynical, I would think she didn’t really think there was a chance that I was the one attacked, she was just angry I hadn’t written her.
I could rant about the letter awhile, but I’m afraid I don’t have time. McGonagall has assigned us a zillion pages to read and a five-scroll essay to write, and the topic is human transfiguration. Count yourself lucky you never had to read about that.
Yours,
Sara
October 31, 1996
Dear Sara,
Happy Halloween!
You’re being too nice to mum. She’s scared, you know, that you’re going to run out on her the way I did. And then when I broke it off with Marius, she was even more shocked when I didn’t move back in with her. But even living four months out of her house and I knew better. You’d better not get another boyfriend or she’ll give you up for lost.
And having to read about human transfiguration is your own fault. You got yourself Sorted into Ravenclaw, and then into all those N.E.W.T. classes.
But I am relieved to hear you weren’t attacked. Not that I thought you were, of course, though I had read about the incident in the Prophet but even so, I’m glad to know you weren’t. I’m sorry to hear about Katie Bell, though. I really admired her Quidditch. But the Prophet says she’ll recover, so if you were worried, you can stop worrying.
Love lots,
Your sister Samantha